After guiding Matebele FC to safety, former Bafana Bafana midfielder Reneilwe Letsholonyane stunned Township Rollers 1-0 in a Botswana Premier League match. The win lifted Yeye’s charges to ninth place on the table with one match remaining in the season.
They play Sua Flamingoes in the final match of the season. The ex-South African international took charge of Matebele FC during a challenging campaign as the club battled relegation. This is his first head coach job.
The mandate for the two-time league title winner with Kaizer Chiefs was to ensure safety from relegation. With his youthful side, the 43-year-old secured survival with three games left.
“My first season is about to end now, and we are safe,” Letsholonyane told FARPost. “I think that’s one of the mandates when I came in, to do better and make sure we are not relegated. I think one has been achieved. We can definitely say we are safe.”
Matebele FC could still end the campaign in ninth, 10th or 11th position, depending on results in their remaining fixture.
“In the last game, if we win, then definitely we can finish 11th, 10th or even ninth, depending on how other teams perform,” he added. “So we still have that opportunity to finish the season better than last season.”
The club finished 12th last season with 30 points, which Letsholonyane has already surpassed with one game to go.
LETSHOLONYANE: ‘I’M HAPPY WITH THE STEP I’VE TAKEN’
He admitted the season had not been linear, describing the transition into management as a demanding but rewarding step in his career.
“I’m very, very happy and excited with the step that I’ve taken in my career,” he said.
“Not an easy one. Not an easy season. But through it all, with the assistance of my assistant coaches, the commitment of the players and the support from the technical director, chairman and management, who believed in me even when things were difficult, I’m overall very happy and excited.”
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