On the recently completed season
Obviously, it was a season of highs and lows, with the main low being our failure to win the League and gain automatic qualification to the DStv Premiership. But we've got the second chance to try and gain promotion via the playoffs. Our main aim was always to gain straight promotion, but it didn't work out like that. We have to go via the playoffs route. That's a positive as well – the second chance we got from God. We'll stick to it and fight to gain promotion by God's Grace. Each and every season is different. This is our second season in the Motsepe Foundation Championship after being relegated a few years ago. So, it was different from the first one because, immediately after we got relegated, we had to do a lot of reshuffling, including bringing in new players to the team. That first season was about the players trying to find each other, as you know it's a process to rebuild a formidable team. The first season was really about us trying to get accustomed to the Motsepe Foundation Championship and how things go there. And then this one was about replicating what we've learned over the months, the approach and how to do things. So, mostly the first season was a learning curve for us because most of the players in the team were new. The second one was about trying to make the most of it by taking things game-by-game and trying to get maximum points in each and every match we played. It has been a tough and challenging season, but the team did well in the attempt to accumulate as many points as possible. I believe in the squad that we have at the moment, we have really prepared very well. So, definitely we believe in each other as a team. We did well to be here today, now we have put in the work on the field of play and like I said before, God will do the rest. Right now, there is no time to be talking much. We need to do most of the talking on the pitch, by showing how well we have prepared ourselves for this.
On the upcoming playoffs
Again, we've been preparing very well and are ready for the playoffs. We know what is expected of us as players when the games kick off on Sunday. We have been drilled and prepared for everything our opponents might be throwing at us, so it's just about time to fine-tune and do the final touches this week. And then it's showtime. We'll have to go fight and give it our all on the pitch. Our first game is against Tuks, so we know they are a 'route-one football team'. So, we will have to be ready for everything they will be throwing at us. They have really changed their approach, and we need to be ready for that. We must put up a fight while not forgetting to implement our strategy as Baroka on the day, which is to play football. It is, of course, not going to be easy, as both our opponents will come in prepared to try to gain promotion to the PSL.
On Baroka FC's play-off opponents
We know Tuks are a 'route-one football team' and that means we have to be ready for the first ball. If not the first ball, then we have to be able to deal with the second ball. What is important is that we just need to do the job on the field by stopping them from playing to their strengths. We will also have to play according to our own strengths, capitalise on their weaknesses, and take the chances that come our way because it's literally just four games that we are going to play in the playoffs. So, it doesn't really matter how you have prepared for the competition. What matters most now is how you execute that preparation on the matchday. It won't work if we do all this work in the buildup to the competition and then fail to execute it properly on matchday. We play against Tuks in our first game on Sunday, so that's where our focus is right now, and we know what kind of a team they are, and how they approach the game. They have changed the way they play, so we will have to be ready for their route-one ball because they are a very aerially challenging side. They will come with those aerial balls in one-on-one duels, so we must stick to our guns and put up a fight when they come with that approach. For now, we are concentrating on Tuks. Then, next week after the Tuks match, we will start thinking about preparing for Richards Bay, but obviously, we have seen a glimpse of them. They are a ball-playing team. But our first hurdle is Tuks and let's concentrate on them for now.
On leading Baroka FC
For me personally, it's a huge task to be given an opportunity to lead Baroka FC. This is a club that really means a lot to me. It's the second club I am playing for after Jomo Cosmos. I am really honoured to lead these boys. It's a blessing. I am trying my best to be the leader that I can be, on and off the field. So, if I were to lead this side to the PSL after the playoffs, that would be huge for me and my teammates, but, like I said before, let's not count our chickens before they hatch. We still have a huge mountain to climb, but being the captain for Baroka FC really means so much to me, and I am grateful to the chairman for giving me the opportunity to lead this club.
Ananias Gebhardt,
Baroka FC captain
