Orbit College making steady progress in debut Premiership season

Orbit College coach Pogiso Makhoye believes his team is moving in the right direction after making a solid start to life in the Betway Premiership.

The Mswenko Boys sit 13th on the table after 12 matches in their debut top-flight campaign, having earned promotion through the PSL promotional playoffs.

From the outset, Orbit made it clear that their main focus was simply to stay in the top flight—and while their performances haven’t always been pretty, their approach has proved effective.

The Rustenburg-based side are four points clear of the relegation zone, and with plenty of fixtures remaining, Makhoye is encouraged by the steady progress his players have shown in adapting to top-flight football.

“Looking at the goals we have set for ourselves, we are still on the right track,” Makhoye said.

“We want to retain our status; our goal is for the first 15 games to at least get seven wins, then we would have had a good first round because AFCON will also come in and it will assist us.”

He added that, despite the challenges of adjusting to the pace and physicality of the league, his squad has performed close to expectations.

“The first five games we were learning the intensity of the league,” Makhoye explained.

“We lost four games and only won one. In the second block of five games we did better, as we managed to get seven points from the five matches. Our target in the next five games will be to get nine points from the five matches.

“We have so far won one and lost one, and with the three games to come we are not worried—the boys are adjusting well to the league.”

Defensively, however, the coach admits there is still work to be done, with Orbit having conceded 20 goals in their 12 matches so far.

“It’s very concerning; we have been trying to work on our defense,” Makhoye continued.

“In the past three games before the Kaizer Chiefs match, we have only been conceding one goal and scoring.

“As much as we have been conceding, we have also scored about ten goals. For us currently it is not much about how many goals we concede but getting the points, because even if we are not conceding a lot of goals but not getting points, we will still be relegated—but we are working on that.”

Orbit remains unbeaten at Olympia Park, their home ground that was unavailable earlier in the season due to maintenance. Since their return, they’ve played three matches there, winning two and drawing one. Their standout victory, however, came away from home against Richards Bay FC (1-0).

“We were not playing at home when we started the league season, and it had an impact on the results because since we came back to the Olympia Park Stadium, we have not lost,” he added.

“We still have two games to play before the recess, and we need those six points. We know that we are not performing well away from home, but we went to Richards Bay and competed. We want to keep our record at home as is because you need to collect as many points at home to survive.”