…after the team lost a handful of players in the transfer window
Leemisa Thuseho
LIFOFANE coach, Nkosana Mabena, says it will take time for his side to replicate last season’s impressive performance after the departure of several key players during the transfer window.
Lifofane enjoyed a commendable campaign last season, finishing second in the Vodacom Premier League (VPL) and winning the Most Improved Team award.
However, the Buthe-Buthe-based side have endured a difficult start to the 2026/27 season. They were held to a 1-1 draw by Limkokwing University in their opening match before suffering a heavy 4-0 defeat to Manonyane last weekend.
Mabena said the club had lost several key players to other teams, forcing him to rebuild the squad with new faces.
Among the notable departures are Khotso Molelengoane, Neo Motsamai and Monyane Senatla, who joined Lioli, while star midfielder Sello Japhta is also on the verge of joining the same club.
Mabena said it was always going to take time for his new-look squad to reach the level displayed by Lifofane last season.
“Why is every team targeting Lifofane? We are a small village team without resources,” Mabena said.
“We pulled it off last season because nobody anticipated that Lifofane could do it. This season, most teams have prepared better.
“Another thing one can look at is that I have lost about 60 percent of my starting line-up from last season, so I am still rebuilding.”
Despite the difficult start and the challenge of replacing experienced players, Mabena said he would continue working towards better results.
“I am going to grind for the results, but one could see from our starting line-up that we had several new faces. The big teams will always take players from you, and I was left with no option but to rebuild the team.
“If we had resources like the big teams, I would confidently say we would come back, but now we will see how far we can go.
“So, we should not be expected to rise and be better than last season because this is a new team,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Lesotho Premier League Management Committee (PLMC) has confirmed that this weekend’s league matches will proceed as scheduled, except for the fixture involving defending champions Lijabatho.
Lijabatho were scheduled to face Manonyane on Saturday, but the match has been postponed to allow the champions to prepare for their CAF Champions League preliminary-round campaign where they will face Madagascar’s CFFA in a match to be played in Mauritius on Saturday.
Saturday’s fixtures will see Lifofane host Matlama, LMPS take on Members, and Lioli face Mzamane. Venues are yet to be confirmed, with all matches scheduled for 3pm.
On Sunday, Limkokwing University will face Majantja, Bantu will take on LDF, Linare will meet Machokha, while Villa will host LCS. All four matches are also scheduled for 3pm.
The fixtures follow an eventful second weekend of the campaign.
Limkokwing University beat Machokha 1-0, while Lioli edged Linare 3-2. Bantu secured a 2-1 victory over LCS, and Mzamane registered their first win of the season with a 1-0 victory over Villa.
Sunday saw two goalless draws, with Majantja and Lijabatho sharing the points, while Members and LDF also played to a 0-0 draw.
Manonyane recorded the biggest victory of the weekend, thrashing Lifofane 4-0, while Matlama secured an impressive 4-1 win over LMPS.
