Coach Eric Tinkler relieved with Cape Town City’s first win
Cape Town City coach Eric Tinkler has said he is relieved to have registered a first win of the season, admitting that the recent struggles could have sowed seeds of self-doubt in the squad.
“Obviously [relieved]…when you lose three games in a space of a week, you start disbelieving in terms of ‘what are we doing on the pitch,” he told SuperSport.
Tinkler said this after the Citizens beat Kaizer Chiefs 2-0 on Tuesday evening to register the first win in six games this DStv Premiership season.
The former Orlando Pirates mentor said they never stopped believing in the players despite going five games without a win until Tuesday.
“It has not been the case of us playing poorly. It is just that the results haven’t just come,” he added.
“We [Cape Town City] have stuck to what we believe in and continued to believe in the team, and tonight [on Tuesday], I thought in the first half, we were absolutely brilliant. I think the chances we created today. You have to get them at the back of the net because that takes the pressure off everybody.”
Going into Tuesday’s match, Cape Town City had lost 2-1 to AmaZulu, 3-2 to Swallows, 2-0 to defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns and drawn 0-0 against Maritzburg United.
Such uninspiring results piled the pressure on Tinkler, who steered the team to a second-place finish last season to guarantee CAF Champions League football.
The season’s bumpy start also worsened by the sudden departure of award-winning goalkeeper Hugo Marques, who returned to Angola to join Petro de Luanda.
Cape Town City’s next assignment is tough as they travel to face TS Galaxy on September 3.
Galaxy have started the season on a relatively impressive note, having recently handed the defending champions Sundowns a shock 1-0 defeat.
Little wonder Galaxy are now the only team yet to taste defeat this season in the league.