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By Tshepo Ntsoelengoe

Football Journalist


Monare: We have to fight fire with fire

Bidvest Wits midfielder Thabang Monare believes the only way they can beat Free State Stars is by matching their fighting spirit, which he says is what makes Ea Lla Koto a very difficult side to overcome.


The Clever Boys and Stars meet in the first round of the Telkom Knockout at Goble Park tomorrow and Monare is eager to see his side go through to the next round of the competition.

“It will be very difficult, I think since I got here we have never won a game away there, the most we got was a point. We know what is coming and we know it is going to be a fight. We have to be ready for that and there will be tackles flying around, they just give you a fight when they are there,” Monare explained.

“They are runners, they have that energy, big hearts to make tackles, recover and put their heads in there. So it is difficult to come up against teams like that it will be a very tough match but we are ready and we will also have to pull out a fight.”

“The last game we lost against them I felt we didn’t give them a fight … it was the matter of the game going on for a long time and they scored at the end,” he added.

READ: Murray having a ball at Wits

Wits head into this tie having enjoyed some great form as of late. Gavin Hunt’s charges lead the Absa Premiership standings with 17 points after nine games, a much better showing than last season.

The midfielder credits Hunt for the team’s good showing so far and hopes they continue doing good.

“No one saw it coming (the good form). The coach just has a way of doing it I just don’t know how. We just found ourselves clicking during match day and everything working out for us.

“Sometimes as an individual, you ask yourself how long it is going to last or if it is a fluke. But it keeps going and that’s when you realise the man on the bench knows exactly what he is doing.”

 

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