Zothwane on his first win at Sekhukhune: ugly, late, and finally off his back
Papi Zothwane said the pressure never left. But on Saturday it paid out.
Sekhukhune United beat Richards Bay 3-2 at Princess Magogo Stadium. Zothwane’s first league win since he replaced Cedric Kaze.
Two draws to start — TS Galaxy, Stellenbosch — then this: control, collapse, late smash-and-grab.
Ellis Rammala settled it. Before that, Nqaba Xulu scored twice in nine minutes and dragged Natal Rich Boys level from 2-0 down.
“There is pressure every day. We are paid to win games; we are paid to win matches,” said Zothwane after the game.
“And obviously, if you aren’t winning matches, you have to look at what it is you can do to win more matches, and we knew what it is that we could do.
“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.
“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.”
He knew the other dressing room. He only left Richards Bay this season. Familiar faces. A side still hunting its first league win. Dangerous because of it.
Zothwane did not dress the first half up. Scrappy. Unhappy. Character after that. Three wins from seven. Still in the top eight. Into the international break with points, not another stalemate.
The milestone is his. He says the three points are the squad’s.
