Vasco da Gama’s coach Andrew Pequeno (pictured) would be forgiven if he had a chip on his shoulder over the Festive season.
No losses in nine games might not be a league record, but it is certainly no mean feat in this cut-throat and unpredictable league.
The Vasco mentor stated that he was just as surprised as the broader football public when one of their main challengers, Cape Town City, lost their unbeaten record in the Hollywoodbets Third Division campaign going down 0-2 to Woodlands United over the weekend.
This meant that Vasco remained the only unbeaten outfit going into the festive break. However, Vasco still trails the log leader City by one point. This was because the Fish & Chips Boys also dropped points in a 1-1 draw against FC Hout Bay at Parow Park on Sunday.
Pequeno is fully aware that maximum points would not only have given them the top spot going into the Christmas break, but possibly the psychological edge over City given the fact that these two giants square up in the first game after the break on 14 January 2024 at Malta Park.
“We were poor on Sunday,” Pequeno admitted to No Bones with Jones. “We played against 10 men for 55 minutes and could not score. I think a bit of fatigue crept in with the two games over the weekend. Bear in mind that I only had 20 players available due to work commitments, injuries, illness or players went away for a long weekend,” he added.
Despite this unexpected slip on their home ground, the Vasco mentor stated that he is rather satisfied with the overall display and position of his team.
“If you had told me we would be one point behind the leaders and still unbeaten after nine games going into the break, I would be very happy,” Pequeno further explained. “I mean to be still unbeaten in this league after nine games is an achievement in its own right.”
That said, the experienced Vasco coach is well aware that it is highly unlikely for any team in this league to remain unbeaten during the campaign.
“I know the bad patch will come sooner or later and we just have to deal with it as best we can,” he concluded.
