Babina Noko eyes spark in final third after Derby setback

Derby day brought little delight for Eric Tinkler and his Sekhukhune United side, who will now shift their focus to their Carling Knockout clash against Golden Arrows this weekend.

The loss came as a shock to Tinkler and his men, who had been unbeaten and looking to extend their lead in the standings. Although Polokwane City is a formidable side, Sekhukhune’s form suggested they were poised to maintain their strong start to the season.

With another tough challenge from Mamelodi Sundowns next up in the league, Tinkler will hope his side recovers quickly ahead of that contest. Despite the setback, Babina Noko still have momentum and they will need to make the most of their promising start while addressing tactical and finishing issues that have emerged in recent fixtures.

Their upcoming Carling Knockout clash against Arrows could prove their biggest test yet. Manqoba Mngqithi’s men have shown glimpses of their best football recently. While not fully polished, they enter the match with confidence following consecutive wins over Sundowns (1-0) and Orbit College (3-0).

Babina Noko, on the other hand, conceded what Tinkler described as a soft goal, with Toaster Nsabata beaten at his near post by Mokibelo Ramabu.

“We need certain finer details that the players have struggled to produce,” Tinkler said

“That was the problem we had against Chippa, and once again against Polokwane City. Those are the areas we have to work on in training.

“We didn’t have that opportunity ahead of that game, and all we could show the players was the problems we had in the last match and give them options on what to do. Training will make it better because you are putting the player in that situation.”

Sekhukhune will meet Arrows for the second time this season in less than a month, after Bradley Grobler’s late goal separated the two sides in their first encounter two weeks ago.

The Limpopo-based outfit also struggled to break down Abafana Bes’thende in that match. While Tinkler acknowledges the issue, he has urged his team to maintain their strong start and find the spark they need in the final third.

“We needed to create more chances,” he continued.

“We needed the eagerness that you need in the final third, but that final pass just wasn’t there. It’s quite obvious that this is something we need to work on in all our upcoming games, because a lot of teams will look to play against us in a low block, and we’ve got to find ways to break it down.”