Black Leopards assistant coach Morgan Shivambu is relieved that his side registered their second win in the Motsepe Foundation championship on Wednesday, a result that lifted them off bottom spot.
Tiklas Thutlwa scored the only goal in the derby against Tshakhuma Tsha Madzuvhandila (TTM) at a scorching Thohoyandou stadium,as Li doda duvha got off the foot of the championship table to 14th with six points in seven matches.
“It’s always tough when you are down there because you feel like everyone is on top of you. It’s not easy to get out there but today it’s a relieve” Shivambu told iDiski Times.
Shivambu says it’s important for his players to forget about the win over TTM and keep focus if they are going to continue moving up the log.
He also praised Thutlwa who played his second match since coming back from injury saying he did well despite lack of match fitness.
“Last week it was his first game and he scored, even today he scored,” added the former Leopards defender.
“Today I think we pushed him a lot because normally he gives us 65, 70 minutes but because we know what he can do in the box, that he has got goals in him, it was not easy for us to make the decision to take him out.”
Meanwhile TTM slipped to third position in the log with 13 points from seven matches. Head coach Johny Ferreira says the opposition deserved the win.
“Their slick inter passing from the middle third into the final third was far superior, and they started exposing some of our slower guys at the back,” Ferreira told this publication.
“They scored a deserved goal. We threw caution to the wind, played five in the front line. In the bigger scheme Black Leopards deserved to win the game today and they showed great desire to win today.”
