Junction Rovers’ fate in Stream A of the ABC Motsepe League looks very bleak – but there’s still hope as it ain’t over until the fat lady sings – and that is what they have to cling onto.
And if coach Chrissando de Weber and his troops are to save their Second Division status this season, they should start taking care of their business on home soil; as away from home, it’s not going to happen, as results have shown so far.
De Weber should have imprinted this in the minds of his players leading up to their league encounter against Young Bafana at the ‘Harry Gwala Stadium’ on Wednesday (18 March).
This comes after Junction has been granted permission to move their fixture, which was initially scheduled for Friday, to Wednesday due to a possibility that Eidul Fitr might be either on Friday or Saturday, depending on the moon sighting of course.
The reality is that the Heideveld-based team has not been playing badly at all, but scoring goals has been a major problem. It’s also not to say that they aren’t creating chances, as they are, again, getting the ball in the back of the net is the primary reason for their woes thus far.
But again, winning their home games will be non-negotiable and it should start against the team from Strand on Wednesday.
De Weber and his charges can also draw inspiration and hope from the fact that Stream A is blowing hot and cold. This could count in Junction’s favour, but they have to be fired up and willing to put their bodies on the line more so than ever.
The fact of the matter is that De Webs can also do with one or two more experienced players as well as a few ‘Unders’ to blow some life into them again – the talent is there, it just needs to be reawakened therefore, a lot also rests on the technical team like Ashraaf Maart, Marawaan Isaacs and Enver Solomons to pull out all the stops.
Perhaps if a good Samaritan can come forward for some intervention – maybe to entice the players with a winning bonus – as all the other teams in the stream operate, it seems to be the only motivation to bring back the passion and the best out of players these days.
Lastly, an appeal should also be made to the fans once again to focus on the remaining games and help Junction to stay in the league – not that they have been absent, but for the sake of keeping them in the Motsepe League – and now is the perfect opportunity to show “Julle gee nie krag weg nie.” (Don’t give away power).
PHOTO SUPPLIED BY AMN STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY
