Although they lost at home to UP-Tuks on Monday, UCT coach Rowan Hendricks took plenty of positives from his team’s performance.
The home side took a surprise lead on the Green Mile and whilst the defending champions fought back to win 2-1, Hendricks said that it was a definite improvement on their opening 1-1 draw with Limpopo.
“We took more positives out of this match because we improved from our last match. This is a new team, willing to grow with me and the experiences that they are picking up during this year’s tournament are going to be valuable for the future,” he said.
Speaking about what was done differently this time round, he said: “We tried to stick to our identity and game plan.”
The Ikey Warriors surprised the defending champions by scoring the opening goal of the match, and kept them on their feet for most of the first half.
Hendricks cites the goalscorer, Michael Salgado, as a player that stood out. Salgado eventually claimed the Samsung Super Striker award for his efforts.
The coach also mentioned Jody Brown as a stand-out player during game, explaining that they are both “young guys who are putting up their hands to be counted for, and are the future of UCT Football.”
On a larger scale, addressing what he understood to be their biggest strength in the game, Hendricks said: “Our strengths lie in our Unity – our togetherness in all positions on the field.”
This was revealed in UCT’s ability to keep Tuks at bay for so long in the match, and the way in which they stepped up defensively.
On the other hand, the coach notes that their weaknesses were noticeable in the game, as well.
“We need to keep possession more and be smarter in decision making,” he said.
Next up, UCT travel to Port Elizabeth to take on NMMU in their third match of the tournament. The team will be looking keep up the improvements, and claim their first win of the tournament.
By Megan Kinnaird
