LIGHTS FADE AT MOTLAKASE
beMOBILE Premiership strugglers Motlakase Power Dynamos are a team that is going down this season.
Surprisingly, the team’s coach Agang Mogotsi believes that come next season, they will still be playing premiership football.Motlakase squandered an opportunity to move closer to safety when they lost 2-1 to Police XI at home on Saturday night but Mogotsi reckons the fight for survival is far from over and that his side will shock many by retaining top flight football status.
Languishing second from bottom on the log with two victories from 18 outings, the Palapye side seems set for doom alongside FC Satmos unless they miraculously conjure up some escape strategy.
Mogotsi said that the team’s stakeholders met and mapped a survival strategy which is informed by an analysis they made during the Christmas break. “We realized that we need to bolster our frontline. We lost Lapologang Motlogi to Sua Flamengos at the beginning of the season but we have brought him back. He was our top goal scorer for the past two seasons and losing him had an impact as we couldn’t score enough goals,” he told Sun Sport.
Mogotsi added that they have identified lack of experience as a major problem in their squad, hence a decision to bring back Otsile Osenna and Gabatlhomphe Tsheko, both of whom had joined Jwaneng Galaxy FC in the recent off-season. Dynamos relied on at least 7 school going children in the first round and that cost the team dearly when the boys had to be granted leave to seat for their examinations.
The coach however confirmed that the technical team now wants to use the tried and tested. He is convinced the team will sign more players to strengthen their squad before the end of January.
Mogotsi’s dream of seeing his side compete in the premiership next season could be dealt a blow if the star players rumoured to be on their way out eventually leave his club. He has already lost captain Lerato Botshelo to Gaborone United and left-back Joseph Nkgoeng is said to be on his way to Miscellaneous.
Miscellaneous coach Russia Chaba has confirmed that they have held talks with the player and his arrival in Serowe is imminent. However, Mogotsi dismissed Nkgoeng’s proposed move to Miscellaneous as a social media hoax and added that the player will be appointed as the team’s new captain.
Another player on the verge of leaving Dynamos is industrious midfielder Gape Pogba Mohutsiwa. Sun Sport has been reliably informed that Mochudi Centre Chiefs have approached Palapye All Stars, the parent club that has loaned Mohutsiwa to Motlakase, about the availability of the player this transfer window. Mohutsiwa confirmed Chiefs’ inquiry to Sun Sport and he is very keen on a move to the big boys.
According to Mogotsi, survival will depend on two things - the commitment of the players and the support of the fans. He said that there are still many points to play for and they will treat each game as if it is their last. However, he must very worried man given his side’s next five fixtures: Green Lovers away; Township Rollers at home; BDF XI away; Nico United at home and Jwaneng Galaxy FC away.