Bold claim from Richards Bay FC coach regarding so-called big teams
Following their loss to Orlando Pirates, Richards Bay FC coach Ronnie Gabriel has made a bold claim about the so-called big teams.
The Natal Rich Boyz suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of the Buccaneers in the Nedbank Cup Last 32 on Sunday afternoon.
This was their third loss to the Sea Robbers this season, after two 1-0 defeats in the Betway Premiership matches.
When asked about the gap between his team and top sides like Orlando Pirates, Gabriel acknowledged that Jose Riveiro’s troops are are on another level.
However, he asserted that Richards Bay’s impressive second-half showing against Pirates demonstrated their ability to “compete against the big guns.”
He expressed confidence that they will elevate their game even more in the second round.
RICHARDS BAY COACH – ‘WE ARE CAPABLE OF DOING IT’
“Pirates is a team of high quality,” said Gabriel. “They are a top team, we can’t take that away from them. The levels are high.
“They’re having a good season, they’ve been doing well in Africa. They’ve been doing well in the local league.
“So, they are one of the best performers in the African continent at this present moment. But looking at our second half display, it gives us encouragement that we can compete against the big guns.
“We do have the ability and we are capable of doing it. It’s just a matter of us being more consistent, starting the game with more confidence, taking more risk, and the results will come our way.”
Looking to come back stronger in the second round, Richards Bay have added striker Mxolisi Macuphu to their squad. Gabriel expressed their excitement to get him on the field.
“We didn’t discuss that about more reinforcements. But we’re doing well at training,” he added.
“He [Macuphu] had a few good training sessions. We want to get him into a respectable level of fitness so we can throw him out to the pitch and maybe he can do a job for us.”
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