Africa-Press – Lesotho. Matlama head coach Charles Manda says the mission has not changed for this weekend as ‘Tse Putsoa’ prepare to face Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) on Saturday at Ha Ratjomose.
Matlama are one of three teams that are yet to lose a game this season and Manda told thepost yesterday that he is expecting a tough match away from home as his players are still adjusting to the reality of returning to competition after such a long time away from the game.
While his players may be showing signs of struggle, Manda acknowledged this is not just a Matlama problem but others are also facing similar challenges therefore they have to soldier on.
Matlama are second on the Vodacom Premier League (VPL) log after five games. They have won all of five of their games and have 15 points in the bag. Only goal difference separates them from Bantu.
Matlama beat Likhopo 3-0 last weekend at Setsoto Stadium with Jane Thabantšo scoring the fastest goal in the history of the league when he netted after just 10 seconds.
Coincidentally, Thabantšo also holds the record for the fastest goal in Cosafa Cup history after he scored after 34 seconds against Mauritius in Namibia in 2016.
LDF also recorded a victory in their opening fixture and will be looking to continue that form. Manda said preparing for the return has been not only difficult for him but also for the players.
“It’s hectic, it is not easy to work with people who have been staying away from football for months.
It is going to be tough but all games we are going to play are going to be tough. After such a long layoff it has taken a toll on our players and for other teams as well.
You don’t know what will come up but it will be a battle,” Manda said. “So far so good in terms of injuries but they will come up, we cannot run away from them.
If we were given maybe a month to prepare we would say injuries would still be there but they will be fewer, but now every team will experience them. Rotation will be vital, resting players for the next game and letting others have a go, maybe in such a way we could avoid many (injuries),” Manda said.
The Premier League Management Committee (PLMC) has announced changes to kick-off times starting from this weekend. Games scheduled for 12pm kick-off will now start at 11:00am, those set for 3pm will be moved to 2pm. This is due to the cold weather conditions and the fact that the games that start at 3pm end around 5pm when it would be already late.
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