Eagles star baffled by lack of results
Royal Eagles star midfielder Mndeni Zikalala says he is saddened and baffled at how the side are stuck at the bottom of the standings in the GladAfrica Championship.
Royal Eagles players (Photo by Carl Fourie/Gallo Images)
The Pietermaritzburg-based side has collected a mere seven points after 12 games, leaving them four points behind Jomo Cosmos.
“It is sad. It is not nice at all being in that position. What leaves me baffled is that it is not like we are bad or not performing. But I guess sometimes you need luck. We haven’t been lucky at all because we play well and create chances but end up on the wrong end of results,” Zikalala told Phakaaathi on Friday.
He said they were now looking to build on their performance from last Friday’s win over Swallows FC in the Nedbank Cup qualifiers.
“We went away and came back with a result. We hope that was the turning point for us. We needed that win to get our confidence back,” he said.
Eagles host Richards Bay at Chatsworth Stadium on Saturday afternoon and Zikalala said coach Mome Medic had given them a detailed analysis of what to expect from their visitors and was hopeful they could get their second league win of the campaign.
“The coach said if we do exactly what he tells us, we should be able to get the result because he has studied them well. We are confident,” he said.
Other games
Saturday
Swallows FC v University of Pretoria, at Dobsonvillle Stadium, 3.30pm
The Dube Birds will be looking to put their Nedbank Cup disappointment behind them and get their league campaign back on track. They come up against a wounded AmaTuks side, who suffered a 2-1 defeat away at Richards Bay on Wednesday. A win could take Swallows to fourth position.
Mbombela United v Real Kings, at Kanyamazane Stadium, 3.30pm
Two points separate the sides ahead of this game and a win could help them into the top eight and with a chance of climbing further up to be in a position to challenge for playoffs places next season.
TS Sporting v Cape Umoya United, at Kabhokweni Stadium, 3.30pm
Abantu Bemthetho are slowly finding their rhythm and a home tie against the Spirited Ones, who are finding their feet under a new coach, could be what they needed to get their season back on track.
Jomo Cosmos v Steenberg United, at Olen Park, 3.30pm
Ezenkosi will be looking build on the win they got last time they played at this venue, but it is a tricky match against the division’s new boys, who have been doing well in their first campaign in the paid ranks.
Tshakhuma v Free State Stars, at Thihoyandou Stadium, 3.30pm
Ea Lla Koto begin their new life under their third coach this season. Stars fired Vladislav Heric and replaced him with Milton Dlamini this week. Dlamini will hope not to have a baptism of fire at Tshakhuma, who have been doing really well recently.
TS Galaxy v Uthongathi FC, at Kameelsrivier Stadium, 3.30pm
Should the Cane Cutters fail to get a win at the Rockets, they could see their lead cut to just one point. But that is dependent on how other results go. It is a difficult match for both sides as they are desperate for a result. Galaxy haven’t been doing well in the league with three consecutive defeats.
For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.
