Eric Tinkler finds positives as Sekhukhune’s winless run continues

Sekhukhune United coach Eric Tinkler found positives to take from his side’s 1-1 draw with Richards Bay FC, even as their winless run continued into the international break.

Babina Noko are now four matches without a victory and have been overtaken by Kaizer Chiefs, who sit one point above them; both teams have played 11 matches.

A Tshepo Mabua own goal gave Tinkler’s side an early lead in the second half after Sekhukhune failed to convert several good opportunities in both halves.

The visitors levelled when former Orlando Pirates midfielder Gabadinho Mhango struck to share the spoils.

Tinkler welcomed the performance overall but admitted the players lacked the cutting edge needed to break down Richards Bay and secure three points.

“The performance overall was good, but defensively, we have to make sure we don’t allow those mistakes to happen,” Tinkler said after the match.

“In the first half there was only one team in it, and this has become a norm in the PSL. A lot of teams look to leave three up front, and you have to have the quality to punish, and we just didn’t have that quality.

“They won’t do that against Mamelodi Sundowns, but they will do it against us, so we have to make sure that when we get those opportunities, we punish them.

“I do not think any of our performances were poor other than the match against Polokwane City (1-0). In our last game (against Siwelele FC), we played the type of football that we played against Richards Bay.”

Sekhukhune remain unbeaten at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium this season, but in their desperation to rediscover the ruthless form that defined their early campaign, they pushed men forward in the closing stages — risking defeat in pursuit of victory.

Despite his frustration at not closing out the win, Tinkler praised his squad’s application and said the team largely produced the brand of football that brought them success earlier in the season, even if late lapses left them exposed.

“We nearly gave it all away; that was the fear I started having towards the end because we were throwing everything in attack to try and get the winner. 

“But you are playing against a team that is cheating—they don’t defend with everyone; they leave three up there. Knox (Mutizwa) doesn’t defend, Mhango doesn’t defend, and then you get hit on the counter.

“Towards the end I was upset with the players because we can’t lose our discipline. We have to trust in the process and our game model, and those chances will come. You can’t lose your head, having everyone bombing forward trying to get the goal and leaving yourself exposed at the back.

“When we start playing long balls, that is not our game, and we struggle with that. When we play like we did on Tuesday, that is when we start to look dangerous—and that is how we played from the beginning of the season. There were a lot of positives from the match.”