Hungry Lions head coach Henry Basie has opened up on the key factors behind his side’s consistency and their push for promotion in the Motsepe Foundation Championship this season.
‘Ditau di a Rora’ find themselves in a good position for either automatic promotion or securing one of the two spots for the PSL Promotional/Relegation Playoffs with four matches to go.
They are five points behind current Motsepe Foundation Championship log leaders Kruger United, who are now firm favourites for automatic promotion to the Betway Premiership and clinch the title in the second-tier league.
HOW HUNGRY LIONS HAVE TURNED THE CORNER AFTER SURVIVING RELEGATION
Their form this season is a stark contrast to last year, when they finished 13th—just three points above the relegation zone. While they narrowly missed out on a playoff spot in the 2023/24 campaign by only five points, Basie insists the team has learned from past mistakes and is delivering a much-improved performance this time around.
“I think this year we have a totally different team in terms of mentality,” Basie told FARPost.
“What has also helped us were these [FIFA international] breaks; I think those played a major role in where we are today. In previous years, it was always bumper-to-bumper fixtures. It was difficult, and we couldn’t get enough rest in between [travelling to other provinces for games].
“So, that also played a part in making sure of where we are positioned at the moment. But I think we have done exceptionally well this year. Regarding the games we had targeted for ourselves, we have overcome 95 per cent of them, which was good for us as a team.
“I believe this year the planning was better, the execution was better, and the way we presented ourselves was also much better,” added the coach.
Hungry Lions’ last four games include an away encounter against Gomora United on Sunday, 26 April, a home fixture against Upington City FC on Saturday, 2 May, an encounter against Highbury FC on 10 May, and the last match of the season against Milford FC on 17 May.
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