AmaZulu coach Pablo Franco Martin has bemoaned his side’s poor start to the 2024/2025 Premiership campaign following another defeat.
Usuthu suffered a second loss in as many matches after falling at the feet of Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs 3-1 on Wednesday night.
Despite an inspired second-half showing, Martin’s men could not claw themselves back after conceding three goals from Ranga Chivaviro, Gaston Sirino and Inacio Miguel in a disastrous 10 minutes in the opening half.
The Usuthu strike came via Etiosa Ighodaro early in the second half.
No one would’ve anticipated that the KwaZulu-Natal-based outfit would sit in the bottom three with no points recorded after two match days.
AmaZulu FC coach Pablo Franco says he is proud of the second half performance his team had despite suffering a 3-1 loss against Kaizer Chiefs.#GFMSports #BetwayPrem pic.twitter.com/oeeHAwNod5
— Gagasi FM Sports (@GagasiFMSports) September 26, 2024
However, that’s not for a lack of trying with AmaZulu’s inability to convert scoring opportunities at the forefront of their issues.
Martin described his team’s second-half performance against Amakhosi as the best 45 minutes he’s seen since taking over ‒ they hit the post twice and forced the keeper into three one-on-one saves.
Speaking at the post-match conference at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, the Spanish coach felt his team’s performances have not been reflected in their results.
“It’s sad because not only today, but in the two games we’ve played so far, football hasn’t been fair to us,” he stated.
“To have zero points still, but you look at the way the team is playing and the way we’re creating more than the opponents, it’s tough – but this is what football is about sometimes, and it’s based on results.
“We have not gotten the results so far, but we have the performances and if we keep playing like this, we are going to get the results because we are insisting and we’ll keep trying.”
FULL-TIME ⏰ | #BetwayPrem 🏆
It ended in defeat at Moses Mabhida Stadium this evening. We will bounce back stronger.#AmaZuluFC 1⃣ ➖ 3⃣ Chiefs#ThatsPower#HebeUsuthu#UsuthuTogether pic.twitter.com/XNBn6yKaJk
Ahead of their clash against Chiefs, Martin was unsurprisingly secretive about whether he would field off-form goalkeeper and captain Veli Mothwa.
But Olwethu Mzimela deputised on the day, while Mothwa watched from the bench.
This has coincided with Usuthu also exploring the possibility of adding former Orlando Pirates shot-stopper Richard Ofori, who has been at the club in recent days. The 30-year-old departed the Buccaneers at the end of last season when his contract ran out.
Martin confirmed that the Ghana international is being assessed.
“I’m going to be honest, you know. He came two days ago, and he has been training with the team and he’s a great goalkeeper with a lot of experience in PSL, Africa and with the national team,” revealed Martin.
“But he’s also a player who hasn’t played for a long period, so we want to see him if he’s keen to sign for us. Let’s see what happens in the upcoming hours … he’s a free agent.
“It’s a discussion between the club, the director of football (Pedro Dias), the technical staff, and the player himself. So, let’s see if they reach an agreement or if it’s not worth it.”
AmaZulu travel to Limpopo to face fellow strugglers Marumo Gallants tomorrow (8pm kick-off).