It’s really no secret that Third Division log leader, Saxon Rovers’ recent dip in form has the rest of its rivals in a frenzy of rejoicement and delight – for obvious reasons.
The fact of the matter is that it has taken coach Robbie Pretorius’ Saxons – who were operating like a runaway train with a nine-point gap at one stage – 16 games (unbeaten – before they were humbled by Greenwood Athletix by 2-0 last week.
This unexpected defeat was followed by yet another shock result at home, a 1-1 draw with the relegation-threatened Goal50 United, which had the majority of their rivals hoping for more.
So much so, that the superstitious ones have already started with the banter by saying to Saxons (45 points) “You know it comes in threes!” with the expectation that they will again drop points in the next fixture against Cape Town Spurs at Ikamva on Saturday afternoon.
The biggest ‘winner’ here is the impressive Rygersdal FC (41) who have performed just as consistently of late and managed to close the gap to only four points, leading up to the halfway stage of the season.
Pretorious, on the other hand, is more of a realist and believes that their opponents in their previous two matches were equally as good on the day and deserved credit.
Pretorious explained: “As much as we want to say that we are just unlucky, we know that you make your own luck. Teams that made us drop points deserved those results. They are well-drilled for the games and they take their chances.
“We just need to do better on the pitch. Also, we as a tech team can’t fault the players much. They play the way we want them to play. Just need to take chances,” Pretorius conceded.
The Saxons mentor has emphasized that no team, irrespective of their position on the log, should be taken lightly, whether at home or away, adding that consistency is the key factor in this league.
“It takes a lot to keep a team at a certain level,” Pretorious further stated. “A lot of effort comes from management… Swartz, Keags, Rus, Lee… each one focused… but yes, still it’s a mission to get results.
“You can’t underestimate anyone,” Pretorius concluded.
