We couldn’t cope with Hotto, Mako and Figo – Sekhukhune coach

Sekhukhune United coach MacDonald Makhubedu says his charges couldn’t cope with the pressure from Orlando Pirates particularly in the second half, which ended up seeing the team register their third loss of the season in the DStv Premiership.

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The Limpopo based outfit had started their tie in an encouraging mood, as they managed to create chances and eventually scored towards half-time.

But they went on to sleep in the last half and allowed Bucs to bounce back in the game, scoring two goals between the 76^th and 77^th minute to win the tie 2-1 at the Orlando Stadium on Tuesday.

Makhubedu insists that they knew exactly what to expect from Pirates, but things didn’t go well for them after they struggled to stop Pirates on the sides, especially a side which was operated by Deon Hotto, Paseka Mako and Linda Mntambo.

“We did well in the first half, especially in the critical phases of the game. First 15 minutes, we wanted to absorb their pressure and we knew that we could catch them in the last five minutes of the first half, that’s what we spoke about. We caught them (scored) and missed another one. We knew they were going to come at us in the second half. But I think we lost it in the first 20 minutes of the second half.

“They were patient, they were coming to us and they overloaded the sides, especially on the left side where there was Hotto, Mako and Figo (Mntambo). We couldn’t cope with that, why? I am not sure because we spoke about it that they will add numbers on our half,” said Makhubedu after the match.

Makhubedu and his team have had a decent start this campaign with the team among the top five sides on the league standings. They are currently in fifth place with 14 points after nine games. They will be looking to bounce back to winning ways when they play another Soweto side, Swallows FC at the Dobsonville Stadium on Sunday, 7 November.