Blue Birds coach attributes draw against Wits to ‘change of approach’
Blue Birds Ladies Academy head coach Malvin Khumalo credits a tactical shift for their 0-0 draw against Wits FC in the Gauteng Sasol League, but admits frustration over missed chances in the first half of the game.
Blue Birds Ladies Academy head coach Malvin Khumalo believes a tactical shift was the key to his team’s 0-0 draw with Wits University FC in their Gauteng Sasol League clash at Sturrock Park, Wits University on June 14.
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The draw comes after a string of unsatisfactory results for the Blue Birds, first, a 2–0 loss against FC Raycon Ladies, then a 4-3 defeat to Emmarentia Pirates FC, followed by a heavy 5–1 defeat to Diepkloof Ladies. Although they broke their losing streak by defeating Croesus Ladies FC 2-0, Khumalo said they could have done better. Reflecting on those performances, He said the team needed to reassess their game plan ahead of their match with Wits. “I spoke to the players on Monday ahead of the game on Saturday, and they are going to change their approach completely. Most of the time, we open up and go for an open game. This time around, we changed completely. We wanted to contain them [Wits FC], sustain the pressure, then counter-attack. That is how we managed to get a draw.”
It was the second time Blue Birds have drawn against Wits since 2019, having lost in their previous seven encounters and won in only one. Despite the more favourable result, Khumalo expressed disappointment at not capitalising on their early dominance. “We had a very dominant first half; we could have scored three or four goals. We created a lot of chances that we did not use effectively,” he said. He added that Wits found their rhythm in the second half, pushing the game into a more balanced affair. “Wits could have won it, we could have won it as well. They had a moment where they tried to unlock our defence. We also had similar moments.”
Khumalo voiced concern about the mounting number of draws affecting the team’s prospects of improving their standing on the table. He said he cautioned the team, noting that, “If they do not collect the points, the next five games will be even more difficult. It means we might find ourselves closer to the relegation than to our desired [top 8] goal.”
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