Richards Bay coach laments lengthy break before Sundowns visit

The Natal Rich Boys ended a five-match losing streak when they beat Golden Arrows 1-0 in the KZN Derby at the weekend.

Gabriel would have wanted the squad to build on that winning feeling, but they now wait to face Sundowns on 28 December.

"Ideally, we would have wanted it to be that way but I'm sure you'll see the way the fixtures are set and certain times it's congested and then the other times you got longer breaks in between games,” Gabriel said.

“These things affect performances as well you cannot take that away but however we've got to work with whatever is put in front of us and prepare the team adequately for a victory.”

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With Christmas around the corner prior to Richards Bay hosting Downs at the King Zwelithini Stadium, coach Gabriel added that the club has already asked the players to put the team first.

"Funny enough we already spoke about that in our team talk and we had heart-to-heart conversations with the boys. We are not in a luxurious position where the boys can have a holiday and go out there and do whatever they feel like,” the coach added.

“They know that they have to put the club first and sacrifice this festive season just for the benefit of the club. So, we are on the same wavelength, we are all pulling in the same direction and hopefully, it will yield the results."

The victory over Arrows moved Richards Bay away from the bottom of the table, especially with rookies Magesi FC also losing to SuperSport United.

Gabriel insisted, however, that it would be unwise to think they are not in the relegation zone.

"We're not naive to think that we are out of the woods, we know there's a lot of work still to be done, we understand that we gotta be the most consistent team and we gotta pick up more results on a weekly basis.

“We understand that it's a process as well and we also gonna have more hiccups along the way, we must be able to accept that but more importantly we spoke about playing good football. We spoke about enjoying the game, dominating the game and we knew that the results would take care of itself."