Birds blow hot and cold
ALEXANDRA – Fresh from a humiliating defeat at the hands of UJ Ladies, Birds hope to fly again when they host Zebra Forces at home.
Bluebirds Ladies Football Academy who were beaten in their two opening matches of the Sasol Women’s League and went on to win their third match, have had their wings clipped again in their fourth game against University of Johannesburg (UJ) Ladies.
They were thrashed 4–0 by a spirited UJ who are now lying second in the league behind multi-championship winners Mamelodi Sundowns. Another powerhouse in women’s football in the country, Palace Super Falcons of Thembisa, are in third spot.
Birds are blowing hot and cold after their emphatic 3–0 win over league newcomers, Acqua Ladies of Krugersdorp two weeks ago. “It was a bad day at the office in UJ,” was all Birds mentor Malvin Trynos Khumalo could say when asked for his analysis of the match.
“In performance terms, we basically didn’t come to the party, most probably for the simple reason that we played the game under difficult conditions in pouring rain which made the pitch muddy and slippery.”
Khumalo also bemoaned the absence of four of his players who were part of the winning team of the previous game. “This meant we had to chop and change our team around at the last minute which weakened our defensive capabilities as well,” he said.
But the UJ game is now water under the bridge for Malvin’s girls, or Izintombi zikaMalvin, as they must work hard for an emphatic win at home to Zebra Forces on 29 May at their fortress, Alexandra Stadium.
“We’re now focusing our attention on that game and I am quite confident that, if we can plan well and execute those plans well as well, we can come out with a positive result.
“I just wish we played like the Birds of a feather that we are, and if we can achieve that, we should be able to come out smoking from the Zebra Forces game,” said Khumalo.
The Birds mentor said he had all the trust and belief in the capacity of his players to win that match. “We need to show a lot of faith in hard work and with a little bit of luck as well, I am sure we can make it.
“This is about the time where we need to show character and play strong as a team. We have a team that can do well, we only need to believe in ourselves and work hard and the results will follow.”
