Owen Da Gama believes Highlands Park’s recent losses were just a speed bump
Owen Da Gama will be happy to get monkey off his back after a couple of losses.
Highlands Park manager Owen Da Gama believes there is no reason for fans to press the panic button after the team’s three-game loss in a row as ‘it was nothing but a speed bump’.
Speaking during a press conference at the headquarters of Premier Soccer League (PSL) ahead of his team’s Nedbank Cup last 32 encounter against Uthongathi FC, the Lions of the North mentor boasted about the position of the team in the Absa Premiership compared to the same time last season.
The losses suffered by the team started the rumour mill and there were suggestions that he had gone AWOL while others said he had resigned in embarrassment. These claims were later denied by club bosses as ‘baseless rumour mongering’ and expressed their loyalty and support for him.
“Every team gets beaten sometimes, others worse than us and are in a much more precarious position. We’re a team of pedigree that we will rise and soar above this setback. I think it was time for us to hurt as a team, and when you hurt you learn and grow. I am happy to get the monkey off our back,” he said.
ODG, as he is popularly known, said the team had won more games than the same time last season, and drawn fewer games than in the same period last season. “We have suffered only three defeats in a row but are still in the top eight. Highlands Park is on a journey and we know where we’re going.”
On whether Orlando Pirates’ Musa Nyatama was set to join his side, Da Gama said a press conference would be called later to clarify the position. “I am not in the right space to comment. I love Musa and would definitely want him but that space of contractual issues is not my domain.”
Turning to his ‘David versus Goliath’ Nedbank Cup encounter against Uthongathi FC which is a GladAfrica Championship team from KwaZulu-Natal, Da Gama said the game was being given the attention and preparation it deserved, moreover, it was a home game for them.
“At Highlands, we have this tradition of giving 70 per cent attention to what our team has to do on the pitch and 30 per cent to what the opponent is capable of doing. This is a big game and we will give it our all. We’re a tough side to beat at home,” he added.
