There will be no panic, no finger-pointing and certainly no hiding behind excuses.
So says Silver Spurs head coach, Sardick Barends after opening their campaign with a disappointing 2-3 away defeat to Greenwood Athletic, the club’s technical team remains convinced that better days lie ahead as a new era begins to take shape.
A host of new signings, a revamped technical team and a fresh playing philosophy have ushered in a period of transition, but the message from camp is clear: progress must ultimately translate into points.
“Yes, we lost our opening game away from home, and we have to accept that,” Barends told No Bones with Jones. “We have a lot of new things coming together, new players, a new technical team, a different way of playing and a culture change.”
While stressing that the project remains a work in progress, Barends was quick to dismiss any suggestion that the rebuilding phase should be used as a shield from criticism.
“Football is result-driven and we understand the importance of getting positive results, especially at home,” ‘Balla’ as Barends is called, added.
Encouragingly for the technical team, there is a growing belief that the squad has bought into the vision being implemented behind the scenes.
“The positive is that everyone is trying and buying into what we are building. Once you are willing to learn, work and adapt, you are already a step closer.”
With the lessons from the opening-day setback against Greenwood absorbed and analysed, Spurs’ attention has now shifted to Saturday’s daunting assignment against the league’s early pacesetters, D6 Mitchells Plain at the infamous ‘Sandpit’ at the Johnson Road Sport Complex in Rylands.
Barends believes they must begin turning their home ground into a fortress.
“Playing at home must mean something. We want to make it difficult for any team coming to our ground, starting with being more organised defensively and keeping a clean sheet.”
Rather than viewing the defeat as a setback, the former Goulburn Athletic coach sees it as an early test of the squad’s character and resilience.
“One game cannot make you throw your toys out of the cot,” Barends emphasized. “When things go wrong, that’s when your true character is tested. We will lose more games along the way. That’s football. What matters is how you respond. The message is simple: trust the process, embrace the hard work and let the results follow,” the Spurs coach concluded.
