Motaung – Why We’ve Not Been Competive This Season

University of Pretoria head coach Tlisane Motaung says losing the core of his squad from last season to Premier Soccer League clubs, has been one of the main contributors to how AmaTuks have performed in the Motsepe Foundation Championship this season.

The side reached the promotional playoffs last season and with five matches to go until the end of the current campaign, they find themselves in ninth position on the log tied on 34 points with Uthongathi FC and Pretoria Callies, in seventh and eighth places respectively.

Motaung says that losing players was a challenge – AmaTuks have not been doing themselves any favours by getting inconsistent results this season.

The coach adds that Amatuks will remain professional in the final stretch of the term to be able to finish in a better position.

“The main, main thing is that in the starting 11 today there is only one player that is from last season. So we lost nine, 10 players to PSL teams,” he tells iDiski Times.

“All of them those who were starting on a regular basis went to PSL teams. So to bring in a new team like this and they are competing like this, it makes me happy because I never expected to compete very much on the basis that we lost the core of the squad last season.

“Look we want to finish in the top five and that’s the most important thing. If by God’s grace we sneak into the top three, I know it’s highly impossible but our target now is to finish in the top five.

“We are very professional no team is going to win any match against us to be honest. No team is going to find it easy whether it’s Casric Stars, whether it’s Polokwane City or anybody that we are playing against.

“We are going to put up a fight it’s as simple as that. We are professionals and we cannot do favours for anyone, we have a responsibility as a team to build professionals and to also make sure that our image as an institution and s a club is intact”

Motaung and his troops face off in a Tshwane Derby next as they face JDR Stars at the Tuks Stadium on Saturday afternoon (15h00).