Papi Zothwane earns first Sekhukhune United win in five-goal thriller

Sekhukhune United manager Papi Zothwane secured his first victory in charge as his side edged Richards Bay 3-2 in a dramatic Premiership encounter at Princess Magogo Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Zothwane replaced Cedric Kaze earlier in the season and had begun his tenure with draws against TS Galaxy and Stellenbosch. Sekhukhune twice established a two-goal advantage, but Richards Bay recovered to level before Ellis Rammala struck late to settle the match.

The result gives Babina Noko their first maximum points under Zothwane, who acknowledged the pressure to deliver a win before the FIFA international break.

“There is pressure every day. We are paid to win games; we are paid to win matches. And obviously, if you aren’t winning matches, you have to look at what it is you can do to win matches, and we knew what it is that we could do,” said Zothwane.

“Sometimes it doesn’t come the way that you expect it to; sometimes it takes a long time. But there is always pressure in football, so for us, it was about how we can get a win because we knew that one way or another, we were going to get a win, but we didn’t know how.

“But because we are going into the FIFA break, we wanted to get maximum points.”

Both teams entered the fixture determined to avoid beginning the international hiatus without a victory. Richards Bay were still looking for their first league win of the campaign, while Sekhukhune had also failed to win in their previous two Premiership matches.

Zothwane admitted he was dissatisfied with parts of his team’s display, particularly during a scrappy first half, but praised the players for maintaining their resolve and continuing to pursue all three points.

The match carried added significance for the Sekhukhune coach because he had only recently left Richards Bay to join Babina Noko. His knowledge of the club and its players did not make the contest easier, with Richards Bay demonstrating the quality in their squad after falling two goals behind.

Nqaba Xulu scored twice within nine minutes to bring Richards Bay level at 2-2 and put their opponents under renewed pressure. Sekhukhune ultimately responded through Rammala’s late goal to claim victory.

Although relieved to have recorded his first win in the role, Zothwane said the importance of the result extended beyond his own achievement. The three points give Sekhukhune United three victories from their opening seven league matches and keep them inside the top-eight places.

The immediate objective, he said, had been to collect maximum points before the break and provide the squad with momentum going into the hiatus.