Motlakase gear for high stake play-offs

Both the manager and the head coach of National First Division North outfit Motlakase Power Dynamos are confident that their team will overcome Uniao Flamingo Santos in the eagerly anticipated  play-offs for promotion to the BTC Premier League.

The two teams are runners-up in the First Division North and South which were won by TAFIC and Sharps Electrical respectively. This  week, Team manager Gaolathe Kelesitse said  after failing to remain in the Premier league, their brief as management is to ensure the team wins the play-offs whose date is yet to be announced. Motlakase relegated from the Premier league at the 2015/2016 league season when Green Lovers were promoted.
Kelesitse said the team failed automatic promotion to the Premier league in the 2016/2017 season because most of their players are new to the team. “After relegation last season, many of our players left us for othe

r teams. Only four or so of our players remained,” said the Motlakase manager. Kelesitse revealed that his team has started preparing for the play-offs. “We played Miscellaneous Football team in Serowe last week and have written a letter to TAFIC asking for a friendly game with them ahead of the play-offs,” said Kelesitse adding that they would also like to play a friendly game with a team from the southern part of Botswana. “Our competitor, Santos come from the south. Our view is that, a game with a team from the south will help us familiarise ourselves with the style of play by teams from the region. It will help us prepare better for the play-offs,” he said.He is confident they will prevail because their supporters are fully behind them and the team is also responding well to training.

Kelesitse also revealed that the team management is busy mobilising the business community for financial support.  For his part Motlakase coach, Pule Mogotsi has got no doubt that his charges will win. “We are a very good team. We certainly deserved more than we got. Part of the reason we failed is fixture congestion such as for instance, when we had to play Real Movers during the week and play another game three days later. We dropped crucial points that week alone,” he said. He is unhappy that the date for the play-offs has not been announced. “Yes, we are planning and training as best as we can but all our efforts are done haphazardly because we do not know the date for the play-offs,” said Mogotsi. When contacted about the date for the play-offs, the secretary general of the First Division North league, Rapula Gaotlhobogwe, said that his committee is in consultation with other stakeholders before deciding on the date.
“It can’t be this weekend there is a replay game between Sua Flamingos and Morupule Wonderers.

On the 13th the challenge is that there is a by-election in Tlokweng. So far, no decision has been made,” said Gaotlhobogwe. An insider however says that the committee is likely to settle for May 27th as the date for the play-offs.