Richards Bay still one of the most in-form teams, says Zothwane despite back-to-back defeats

Richards Bay coach Papi Zothwane believes his side is still one of the highest performing teams in the Betway Premiership despite suffering back to back defeats. 

The Natal Rich Boyz were on the wrong side of a KwaZulu-Natal derby loss to AmaZulu on Friday, heightening their relegation worries. The KZN-based club are currently placed in 13th spot on the league standings and are just two points above the relegation zone, raising the stakes in their remaining six games of the season. 

Under coach Ronnie Gabriel, alongside the arrival of Zothwane, Richards Bay had a resurgent second round and moved out of the bottom two places and have giving themselves a good chance of avoiding heading to the playoffs for the second season in a row. 

Speaking after their loss against Usuthu, Zothwane shed a positive light to his side’s progress and feels his team is still one of the highest-performing despite their hiccups in recent weeks. 

“We knew approaching the game about where we stand in the relegation zone and when you look at that it looks like we take two steps forward and four steps back,” he said 

“But for me, our players have done well, we've played seven games and remained unbeaten, we're one of the top three teams on form and sometimes things like these happen like AmaZulu coming from three losses and they win the match.”

“We can take positives from the game and build on but as a coach, I'm happy to see players progressing and others getting opportunities.”

The Richards Bay charge this season has been spearheaded by the experienced heads, such as Tlakusani Mthethwa and Simphiwe Mcineka, in defence. However, the KZN side has been heavily reliant on their young guns in the attacking areas with the likes of Yanela Mbuthuma and Thulani Gumde regulars in the starting XI. 

This has proven to be a hindrance for Zothwane’s side, with various incidents of poor decision-making and a lack of cutting edge in the final third. 

Mbuthuma in particular, missed Richards Bay’s best chance of the game against Usuthu but Zothwane does not want to place pressure on his youngsters even though he realises the immediate threat of relegation. 

“If you look at the squad, you can't be too judgemental because it has a lot of young players and you have to understand that there will be mistakes, and that's part of the game. But we placed ourselves in a relegation position, and we have to get ourselves out as well.”

The Natal Rich Boyz will return to the King Zwelithin Stadium in two weeks on the April 18, when they welcome fellow strugglers Cape Town City in Umlazi.