MASERU — Seasoned coach Katiso Mojakhomo is back in top-flight football just six months after he was sacked by former Premier League champions LCS.
Mojakhomo has led Mabeoana — one of the country’s oldest clubs — to the Premier League with a run of eight wins and a draw in the Matsieng side’s last nine matches to win the Vodacom A-Division Southern Stream.
Mabeoana were founded in 1932 and had been campaigning in the first division for the last four seasons.
When Mojakhomo took over the reins in January, Mabeoana were trailing Arsenal by five points.
Mabeoana’s spirited run-in under Mojakhomo saw them clinch the title by six points.
Now the coach is back in familiar territory, having led LCS to back-to-back titles in the 2006/07 and 2007/2008 seasons.
He was fired by the prisons side last October after an indifferent start to the season which has seen LCS reduced to a bridesmaid role as Matlama and Lioli gun for the title.
“To tell the truth I thank the people of Mabeoana because it would have been hard to hire someone who had bad things said about him by another team,” Mojakhomo told the Lesotho Times this week.
He said it was not an easy ride though after he took over at Mabeoana.
“It was the most difficult season I have had as a coach but by working together we were able to do it,” Mojakhomo said without elaborating.
Mojakhomo said plans were already underway for the club’s first season with the big boys.
“In the office we have already started making plans for next season,” he said.
“Our field is of a good standard, but there are other improvements we need to make.”
Mojakhomo said he was also going to bolster his squad in preparation for the Premier League campaign.
“The quality is there (in the team) but what we want to do is add experience because when you are playing in the Premier League there are tricks the big teams employ,” Mojakhomo said.
“There are three of four players we have in mind.”
He added it was also critical that Mabeoana held on to their key players with some big teams already hovering around for their signatures.
Securing the services of Rantoetse Mofoka and Mokebisa Maphethekatsi, the two players who were loaned from Premiership side LCS in January until the end of the season, is also a priority for Mojakhomo.
“We would like to keep them. They are the ones who helped me a lot because they had worked with me before at LCS,” he said.
“It’s important that we hold onto the players who have been key for us.”
