Mathaithai coach says his team learnt valuable lessons from Sundowns

Mathaithai FC coach Morena Lothane says he didn’t sense despondency when he looked at the faces of his players after the Botshabelo amateurs did well to restrict ruthless Mamelodi Sundowns to a 6-0 win in their Nedbank Cup last-16 clash on Tuesday.

The Free State ABC Motsepe League side had a nervy start at Lucas Moripe Stadium and conceded two silly goals in the opening minutes.

But their nerves settled and they kept Sundowns at bay until the halftime break, and though the amateurs rode their luck, they won plaudits for allowing only four more goals in the second half.

“I looked at my players after the match and they are satisfied with the way they played and if they were not I would have seen it written all over their faces,” Lothane said.

“I would not be speaking with the confidence that I have now. I’m grateful as a coach for playing a game against Mamelodi Sundowns. It was a huge game for us as an amateur level team.

“It was always going to be a tough game looking at their experience and the way they play as a team. We tried to prepare our troops to make sure they are ready and ... they were ready.

“They worked hard, even if the scoreline is what it is. We stopped them from scoring more goals and we also had a couple of moments where we posed a threat to them.

“Sundowns is a strong team and we are grateful for the experience we got from playing against them.”

Lothane said his players and coaching staff learnt valuable lessons which he hopes will stand Mathaithai in good stead as they push to break into the Premier League professional ranks.

“I have learnt a lot about game management. The way Sundowns managed the game showed me we are an amateur team, but we are going in the right direction.

“The way they kept the ball with a slow tempo, the way they rotated the ball, the way they committed numbers and pressed us after they lost the ball, they forced us to make mistakes.

“That’s what I learnt for a team that is on a level such as ours.”

Mathaithai returned to a hero's welcome in Botshabelo. They have no time to catch their breath and let their experience of playing against Sundowns sink in as they face promotion rivals De General FC in the third-tier Motsepe League, who will play Lothane’s side enjoying an 11-point lead over the Nedbank Cup debutants.

“I hope when we go home we will do what we do best and prepare our troops as best as possible for the game against De General FC.,

“We will give them the respect they deserve on the field and hopefully we get a result.

“We will we use the experience we got from playing against Sundowns to good use in our ABC Motsepe League, I can only hope so.”

Lothane hopes playing against Sundowns will motivate his players to push hard to qualify for the Motsepe national playoffs where two teams will be promoted to the GladAfrica Championship.

TimesLIVE