Playing without super talent Pietie Coetzee, who returns from an Egyptian holiday in time for Tuesday’s match against Northerns, Southern Gauteng were happy to start with a win in their fiercely-contested opening match against KwaZulu Natal.
“Yes, we’re happy with patches of the game,” said captain Caroline Jack afterwards. “If we’d been offered a 2-1 victory before the game, we would have taken it. There are aspects (of our game) that we can build on during the rest of the week.”
Asked what Southern Gauteng had in stock for Tuesday’s match against Northerns, Jack alluded that the team had prepared for all opposition.
“We have a game plan, which will be reinforced by what we saw today. Starting at 8pm this evening, we’ll be preparing for tomorrow,” said Jack.
“Inke van Wyk (Northerns goalkeeper) is a top-class player, and we’ll struggle to put anything past her, but we have some top-class strikers to take her on,” Jack smiles.
KwaZulu Natal’s striker Jen Wilson was philosophical in defeat, saying “Yes, the team had some good patches, and some inconsistent moments, we just have to make sure we build on the good ones.”
On short corners not converted, Wilson acknowledged first-half errors. “We want to put pressure on the other teams, but a few basics fell through. Still, we were able to address that at half-time, and we came back nicely.”
KwaZulu Natal Coach Lennie Botha didn’t give anything away, but expressed strong confidence in his charges.
“We started a little nervous, but came back on track nicely,” said Botha. “I’m very proud of my team. With all the youngsters in my side, we did extremely well.”
Botha acknowledged that his team could be in for a tough match, come their Tuesday match against North West.
“Always be ready to face a backlash when a top team gets a hiding,” said Botha, referring to the 5-nil drubbing North West was dealt at the hands of Western Province.
Whether it was mind-games in action or not, Botha expressed his thoughts about the nature of the anticipated clash. “We must just be prepared, and stick to our game plan, and recognize that there will be two different games of hockey out there tomorrow.”
“North West are a team that is strong in defence. Their game is to wait for the opposition to make a mistake, and then to capitilise it on. Though we are also strong in defence, we prefer to play an attaching game.”
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