Arsenal FC: Our Loss is a blessing in disguise

Arsenal FC’s exit from the Nedbank Cup’s last 32 qualifiers has not put a dent in their plans to win the league in the upcoming season.

The team from Vosloorus, which plays in the SAB League, lost their game 1-0 to FC Germiston on Saturday August 13 at the Vosloorus Sports Ground.

But this was just a wake-up call for them, says team manager Lucky Simelane.

“It always feels sad to lose a game of this nature but it is a wake-up call for us. This was our first competitive game of the season. We will use it to plan for the upcoming season. The score is not the true reflection of the game. We played very well but missed a number of easy scoring chances. This shows what lies ahead of us. There is a lot that we still need to work on. We have a few under-23 players who played today. They performed very well. With more work put in they are going to be all right,” he said.

Simelane also want to partner with other club officials to nurture talent in the townships, but it won’t be easy as finance is always a problem. “If there are companies that are willing to help they may please come up and help us help the youth in the townships so that their talent won’t go to waste.”

Arsenal FC team Captain Kgomotso Mogane feels the same as his team manager. “This was just the first game of the season. This loss does not mean a lot to us as we will now focus on the league. What we want is to win the league. The kind of football we displayed today means our team is heading in the right direction. We want to graduate to the ABC Motsepe League next season,” said the talented Mogane.

He continued, “I as team captain will use the experience I gained playing for Orlando Pirates reserves and Blackburn Rovers in Mvela Golden League to guide the team to the next stream [ABC Motsepe League] come next season. We will also be guided by the wisdom of our coach.”

The goal that decided the result of the game was scored by FC Germiston super striker Sfiso Bhuda who was also chosen as the man of the match. He said, “This is one of the best goals I ever scored. It always feels good to score as it boosts one’s confidence. I will go to the next game with my confidence very high and hoping to score more goals in that game.”

FC Germiston coach Beaven Gwamure was so excited about the results but warned his players not to read too much into this win.

“We still come from the pre-season and have a long way ahead of us. Before we reach the Nedbank Cup last 32 we still have to play the winner between Kathorus FC and Vosloorus United. If we win against one of these two teams then we can celebrate. But my boys did very well and I am proud of them. Congratulations to my boys for the wonderful game of football they displayed today.”

The game between Vosloorus United and Kathorus FC was played later the same day (August 13) at Vosloorus Sports Ground. The winner will play against FC Germiston.