Fadlu Davids feels sorry for chair Kadodia and Maritzburg's supporters

Fadlu Davids apologised to Maritzburg United’s supporters after they came out in numbers but their side let them down with Wednesday night’s 0-0 playoffs draw against Cape Town Spurs at Harry Gwala Stadium that saw the Team of Choice relegated from the DStv Premiership.

United coach Davids was a player when the club last competed in the National First Division (NFD), now called the Motsepe Foundation Championship (MFC).

He arrived at the start of United’s 2007-08 season, after their relegation under Kosta Papic in 2006-07, and was the NFD’s top scorer as coach Ian Palmer’s combination won the title.

He also was United’s most successful coach as they finished fourth and reached the Nedbank Cup final in 2017-18, having guided them to seventh place in the previous campaign.

So Davids might have a good idea what the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands club — who competed for 15 seasons in the top flight but too often fought relegation, sometimes surviving in final-day nail-biters — need to do to re-strategise now they are back in the dreaded, second tier.

“I’ve already started working on it,” Davids said.

“There are so many things. You go into the history — myself seventh position and fourth position, Steve Komphela eighth position, Eric Tinkler sixth position, and the rest of the time fighting relegation.

“So, ja. Four seasons out of [15, that were successful].

“But that’s not for the media — it will be in my report as to how to restructure. Because the potential in the city, the potential with the fans we have at this club ... we’ve let them down and it’s disappointing and you really feel sorry for the supporters.

“The chairman [Farook Kadodia] has really put his heart into the club. You really feel sorry for him at this moment.”

United’s players left their change rooms looking crushed. Davids said he did not hold a post-match briefing.

“We prayed and I said we’ll see you tomorrow. They will be briefed tomorrow. It’s too emotional now to talk.”

The 42-year-old former Orlando Pirates co-coach, who returned to United to replace John Maduka during the World Cup break in November, also looked like the weight of the world had come down on him.

“Since I rejoined the club it’s been up and down,” he said.

“Completely pushing, trying, conceding late goals, lifting the spirits again, pushing and then getting performances in patches.

“It’s really disappointing it ends this way. I thought we’d have one last fight in us. It wasn’t meant to be.

“From the third game of the season we were rock bottom. We pushed and pushed right up to the last day to get up to 15th spot on goal difference with 30 points. It wasn’t enough.

“We had a second opportunity, again coming down to the last day and when it mattered most we weren’t able to score or perform.

“It’s really disappointing and apologies to the supporters who came out. We really disappointed them, not only tonight but the entire season.

 “We gave ourselves the opportunity for it to be in our own hands. Cape Town Spurs were resilient — first ball, second balls, duals. We were just not able to play our football and that’s credit to them for that. We were just not good enough.”

United were flat in the first half, and being unable to get passes together on their counterattack meant they sat too deep and absorbed pressure rather than applying it.

That put more pressure on the home team, as the longer they went without scoring in such a high-stakes game, the more difficult a breakthrough became.

They camped in Spurs’ half in the second 45 minutes, but were mostly unable to penetrate a resilient defence.

Davids felt the pressure of the occasion got to his players in the first half.

“It was pressure, because we had everything for us. Our supporters came, we filled up the stadium.

“But just that tenseness, we couldn’t put two passes together, couldn’t settle in the game.

“And of course if you just have to draw [like Spurs] you fight, you kick the ball out, you waste time. It’s difficult to get going [against that].

“In the second half we were much better but still not putting enough pressure on their goalkeeper.”

Davids said he could not comment on whether he will stay at United.

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