Mikia Kalati
LINARE coach Motlatsi Shale says the relegation dogfight of last season will be a thing of the past in the new league campaign which gets underway on 27 August 2016.
Tse Tala will start the 2016/17 Vodacom Premier League season with a home fixture against Likhopo.
Last season, the Hlotse-based outfit found themselves in a relegation dogfight for the better part of the campaign, and were only deemed safe from the drop two weeks before the final match.
Shale told the Lesotho Times this week they were in the process of beefing up the squad to avoid the pitfalls of last season.
“We have identified a group of youngsters during our trials a few weeks ago, and I am hopeful we will have a strong squad in the new season,” he said.
“We will try to have a mixture of young and experienced players to give balance to the squad.”
Shale is among a group of coaches undergoing the first ever A Level coaching course in the country.
“I believe we have done well in the pre-season and will continue to work hard to have a competitive side come the start of the new season,” he said.
“We have experienced players like former Likhopo player, Tefo Maipato, training with us, which gives a boost to out youngsters.
“You always need such experienced players to guide the youngsters, and Tefo can be useful if we end up signing him, although we are yet to hold talks.”
Shale also noted Linare could fare better if they received support from the corporate sector.
“It is important for the whole Hlotse community to support us, especially the corporate sector through sponsorship,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bantu communications and marketing manager, Motlatsi Mofokeng has dismissed reports they wanted to break the bank by paying M200 000 for Matlama midfielder Jane Thaba-ntšo.
The left-footed winger was Likuena’s best player at the recent regional Cosafa tournament in which he scored three goals. Thaba-ntšo has also been linked to a move abroad.
“We never wrote to Matlama bidding for Thaba-ntšo because we have a very packed midfield, and they will be no place for him in our team,” Mofokeng said.
“We are not happy with those rumours, because the last time we communicated with Matlama was when they had an interest in our midfielder, Hlompho Kalake which was turned down.”
