Lioli Coach Mosholu Mokhothu
Mikia Kalati
Lioli coach, Mosholu ‘Shoes’ Mokhothu, has described the 2014/15 season as the most difficult for him and his Teyateyaneng-based outfit.
Tse Nala defeated Likhopo 3-0 last Saturday to take an unassailable lead in the premier league title-race, making the upcoming last match of the campaign academic.
After last weekend’s penultimate matches of the league season, Lioli increased their points to 60, while second-placed Bantu now have 55, which means Tse Nala can afford to lose their last match and still be crowned champions.
“I must confess that this will go down as the most difficult and challenging football season I have had since I became a coach,” Mokhothu said.
“This campaign brought a lot of pressure for me and the players, and I’m very delighted that we won the race in the end.”
According to Mokhothu, the fact that Bantu were also in top form throughout the season and determined to defend their title made the task that much harder.
“The season came with so much pressure as we had to deal with conflicts within our technical department, as well as losing some players to injury and personal reasons,” said Mokhothu.
“But despite all this, we managed to come out tops and credit should go to the players and management for resolving all the problems that we faced during the season.
“I should also pay tribute to our fitness trainer, Ntate Ntsie Mapetla, as he brought so much into our team as an expert in his field. I believe his knowledge helped us remain in good shape and ahead of the other teams in the league. So to me, this was a special season, which ended the way we wanted, but like I said, it was not easy at all.”
Mokhothu further said his team would still be very competitive when they host Kick4Life on Saturday despite having already won the title.
“Unfortunately, this is one of those teams where there is always pressure to win every match. Players get bonuses for every win, so they will be going for maximum points although the league championship is already in the bag,” said Mokhothu.
Mokhothu who has now won two league titles as Tse Nala head coach, after leading the team to the 2012/13 championship, also said his one-year contract ends in July, but would love to continue in his role.
“It’s too early to say anything at this stage, but I had a one-year contract that will be ending in July and will have to hear from management if they are still happy with my services,” he said.
