Mongoya praises Kruger United’s patience after first Betway Premiership win

Kruger United coach Abram Mongoya has praised the club’s management and players for staying calm during a difficult start to the Betway Premiership season after the Mpumalanga side finally claimed its first victory.

Kruger United defeated provincial rivals TS Galaxy 1-0 at Solomon Mahlangu Stadium on Sunday night, ending a five-game winless run and moving the club off the bottom of the table.

Despite increasing pressure during the opening weeks of the campaign, Mongoya said the club had remained committed to its long-term approach. He believes the team’s performances had begun to show signs of improvement before their breakthrough result.

“I think I am a man of process. We trust the process; we always go through the process irrespective of the result. We always know what we are doing. I think from the Marumo Gallants game we started showing signs,” said Mongoya.

He pointed to further evidence of progress during meetings with Milford and Polokwane City, as well as the team’s defeat by Pirates, when Kruger United created opportunities but failed to take them.

“In the Milford game, we showed hunger. We had to play at home against Polokwane City, and we dominated the game but missed a lot of chances. The boys also realised, even after playing Pirates, where we had chances. I think it’s all about trusting the process, and I am humbled that [management] is allowing us to lead them.”

Mongoya was also unwilling to place too much emphasis on Khetukuthula Ndlovu, despite the forward scoring the decisive goal against TS Galaxy.

Kruger United are due to host Stellenbosch FC on Saturday, but Mongoya said he did not yet want to look too far ahead. The coach said he needed to study the match footage before assessing the next fixture in detail.

“I’ll be thumb-sucking if I answer you now because I still need to go look at the footage, and I need to be more detailed when I respond. I am going to tell you this, and then you say something else during the week. It’s just about going through all the details and allowing the boys and even myself to enjoy the first victory in the PSL. I think it’s the first of many; by the way, we still have a lot of victories coming.”