Alex Gunners’ 8-1 win not enough for coach
Alex Gunners thrashed Blue Aces 8-1, but coach Lesiba Ditshego was not clapping; he wanted more.
Despite a stunning 8-1 victory over Blue Aces FC, Alex Gunners FC coach Lesiba Ditshego was left unimpressed, insisting his side should have done more. The two teams clashed in an U17 Maimane Alfred Phiri Games fixture at Alexandra Stadium on Saturday.
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The Gunners dominated the match from the beginning of the game and opened the scoring early, but Ditshego expected a more ruthless performance, especially since the Gunners had scored nine goals in their previous encounter against Blue Aces.
“I am still not happy; they need to learn to score. Keep scoring so that you get used to putting the ball in the net. This is development, they must develop such habits,” said Ditshego.
“The last time we beat them by scoring nine goals, but today we beat them 8-1. It is not good enough. It should have been at least 13.”
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Ditshego stressed that his team’s recent 4-3 win over Alex Black Poison was better than their Saturday performance, despite the narrower margin. “They were outstanding. If today they had played like they did against Black Poison, we could have scored more than 12 goals,” he said.
He explained that the quality of the opposition influenced his assessment, noting that Black Poison posed a far greater challenge than Blue Aces.
In contrast, Blue Aces coach Mzeke Mafa expressed no disappointment with the result, saying his focus was on long-term development rather than short-term wins. He said that is why he fielded a younger, less experienced squad against the Gunners.
“We were not playing to merely win; my players are under 14, and they were playing in the U17 division. I am not chasing a win. I am concerned about their development,” Mafa said. He added that his goal is to prepare his U15 players to compete confidently at the U17 level.
“Their performance is improving. Although they lost today’s game, they are gradually getting better. We also didn’t have our main U17 goalkeeper.”
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