4th December 2024
The Limpopo-based outfit experienced the often-seen cup ‘hangover’ at Buffalo Stadium in East London, going down 2-0 to hosts Chippa United at the weekend.
Zothwane says their preparations for the fixture were not ideal.
"It wasn't what we expected, personally for me, and as a team to say, 'Just played eight games unbeaten, and then you play against Chippa and lose the game,'" said Zothwane.
"Personally, as a technical team, the preparation phase was not one of the best in terms of going to play in the league, because we only had one session to prepare for Chippa, and we had to travel again, and I think Chippa has been doing exceptionally well."
Zothwane explains the technical staff, led by coach Clinton Larsen, wanted to build on the impetus from beating league title holders Mamelodi Sundowns.
"Obviously after winning a cup, you want to continue with the momentum of winning, but it gave us at least some homework to say, after winning a cup, we can't celebrate the cup [forever]," he added.
"The main priority for this team is to do well in the league and remain in the top flight, so it was a disappointing performance for us to lose the match, but in terms of the application, character and mentality, it's what we expected from the players.
"We are playing Marumo this Saturday, so hopefully we will bounce back from our loss, but we definitely have to do well in the league."