Johannesburg - Marumo Gallants interim coach Raymond Mdaka has been left in disbelief following the heartbreaking final day relegation from the DStv premiership of his side.
Bahlabane Ba Ntwa were on the wrong end of a surprising defeat to Swallows FC at the Dobsonville Stadium on Saturday, sealing their drop to the Motsepe Foundation Championship next season.
The target for both Chippa United and Gallants was fairly simple ahead of matchday 30, win or draw and you’re either completely safe or have another opportunity to save yourself through a promotional-relegation play-offs route.
However, while a large contingent of KwaZulu Natal football fans hoped for a lifeline for the Team of Choice, few would have predicted that it would be Gallants who'd open the door to that reality.
Mdaka was appointed in January (alongside technical advisor, Dylan Kerr) to try and save the club from relegation as they occupied the bottom of the log.
The 56-year-old has been left devastated following a week that saw his side eliminated from the CAF Confederation Cup and relegated from the South African top flight.
“We are very much disappointed because we never expected that. We never thought we could lose, especially in this game. But it happens in football,” said Mdaka.
“We will just take it from here, there is nothing we can do. This is so bad. I really didn’t expect it at all. Honestly, we thought maybe we wouldn’t concede like other days and keep the status of the team so we're very disappointed about that.”
Gallants finished the season having won just five matches throughout the campaign, accumulating 14 draws and 11 losses in their 30-match campaign.
The Limpopo-based club ran through three different coaches having begun the season with Romain Folz at the helm, before re-appointing Dan Malesela after just five matches.
Malesela was thereafter handed special leave at the turn of the year, making way for Mdaka. The experienced mentor has now pointed to the main factors he feels led them to their harrowing end.
“A lot of things went wrong. Sometimes we play well and do not score and that’s a problem. I think that’s where it started,” he said.
“If you can’t score, obviously, the chances are that the other team will get their opportunity and score which ends up bad.”
Bahlabane Na Ntwa will now take their R13.7 million earnings from reaching the semi-finals of the Confederation Cup and look to find their way back from the second tier of SA football.
@ScribeSmiso
IOL Sport