Wits buoyant after mid-table heroics in debut ABC Motsepe League
- Tshepiso Mametela
Wits FC have closed out the 2021 ABC Motsepe League in fifth position after beating AJ United 2-0 at the Vosloorus Stadium in their final game of the season last month.
The Braamfontein outfit made their debut appearance in Gauteng’s second stream of the competition in March before registering a win in only their second match of the campaign, a 4-2 hammering of the same opposition.
In the end, five wins and seven draws for the club was enough to land Wits smack-bang in the middle of the table on 22 points, nine points adrift of eventual winners, Remember Elite Sports Academy FC.
“I am super proud of the players for their performances throughout the season and the character they continuously showed when we were going against all odds at times,” said an upbeat Phuthego Mokgethi, Wits FC’s football administrator, who sang his side’s praises following a relatively impressive debut campaign.
“I would also like to commend the entire technical team for their continuous hard work and consistency in ensuring the players performed to their utmost while also ensuring the chemistry was high throughout the season.”
Kal Laing, dubbed a modern-day center back due to his ability to create magic with the ball at his feet, experienced a season of two halves — characterised by “some good and bad patches”.
In spite of his varied performances, Laing said the team dynamic was not diminished as some valuable lessons were scored along the way. “The season was one of growth for the team as a whole. So, I guess we all experienced ups and downs.
“In my good patches, I played a key role in ensuring the team did not succumb to defeats even when it wasn’t our best day at the office.
“This was all done in unison with my teammates that I would rub off on with my dominant and winning personality,” declared the playmaker, who, as part of his defensive duties in the final third, takes on a deep-lying role to pick passes and play teammates in on goal from deeper areas.
When asked what some of the more valuable lessons picked up on as he went from one game to the next through the course of the season, Laing said it was that ‘the game is never quite over’.
“It was a hard pill to swallow since I learnt it the hard way by throwing away some big leads in games. But it was a good lesson in that, as a team, we learnt and grew from that and even in situations where we would be losing by a few goals, we would never stop fighting and could come back from deficits and win games.
“These are big lessons that we can take in to the upcoming tournaments that we are going to play in,” added Laing. “The highlight for this season was the team’s overall performance and show of character in their first season in the ABC Motsepe league.
“The lessons learnt and growth gained is the highlight of this season as it gives us hope and something to build on so that we can reach the goals we have set out for ourselves for the rest of the year, which is to have a solid showing in the Varsity Cup and win it.”
Echoing his teammate’s sentiments on the learning curve which was the campaign, skipper and midfielder Saluleko Mathonsi said not all his expectations were met.
“Before the season started, I was looking at a team that was going into this league to compete, win games and be difficult to beat, and that's exactly how our season went even though we didn't win enough games,” said Mathonsi.
Critically, and from an individual perspective, the captain agreed it was not his best outing. He, however, hopes to ride on the crest of an improved player in the next one.
“Sure, it wasn't the best of me but it was a slight showing of the best that's yet to come. If there's one thing that stood out about my season, it is the desire to work very hard for my teammates and to make sure I encourage them to keep working until the final whistle.
“I also scored a couple of important goals which is something I always strive to achieve ... I just want to win trophies for this University.
“The players want to win trophies. Varsity Football is at the top of our list [but] my individual goals cannot be reached without ensuring that this team wins trophies; it's what I also want.”
Saluleko Mathonsi (Captain) in action in the ABC League
Giovanni Idi in action in the ABC League