From survival to success: Richards Bay battle for mindset change

Richards Bay coach Brandon Truter is still battling to find a solution to the Rich Boyz lack of goal-scoring intent this season. | BackpagePix

Richards Bay coach Brandon Truter is still battling to find a solution to the Rich Boyz lack of goal-scoring intent this season. | BackpagePix

Published Oct 28, 2024

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Richards Bay head coach Brandon Truter has expressed difficulty in shifting his side’s mentality to become winners. The Natal Rich Boyz held high-flyers Stellenbosch to a goalless draw at the King Zwelithini Stadium on Saturday in a game that was there for the taking.

Stellies were not at their usual best and could not get going as admitted by their coach Steve Barker and when Jayden Adams was given his marching orders in the second half, all eyes turned to Richards Bay to take advantage. However, the hosts could not land a decisive blow on the day and left Truter questioning his side’s ability to go for the kill.

— Richards Bay FC (@RichardsBayFC_) October 27, 2024

He attributed the club’s recent battles in relegation fights as one of the reasons behind their restraint at times.

“Its difficult managing the group and the club as well, there's things we need to change and move away from purely because of what the club has been through in terms of relegation fights,” he said.

“We can't really be doing the same thing and expect different results. Some players are used to doing things in a certain way and some things don't change overnight.”

“It's a team that survived relegation on the last day via the play-offs, it's a team with a bigger fear to lose than wanting to win and that's what we’re instilling at the moment.”

The Richards Bay-based outfit survived the chop by the skin of their teeth last when coach Vusumuzi Vilakazi needed to be roped in as an emergency in the second round of the previous campaign. Under Truter, the club have seen slight improvements, winning two, drawing two and losing two of their six games so far this season in all competitions.

Referee Alfred Chavani gives Jayden Adams of Stellenbosch FC his marching order after the midfielder was booked for a second yellow card against Richards Bay. | BackpagePix

They have also booked a spot in the quarter-finals of the Carling Knockout Cup where they will face Cape Town City next. However, one of Truter’s worrisome issues at the moment is his side’s inability to find the back of the net, scoring just twice in the opening six games and via set-pieces as well.

Despite the club’s recruitment of the likes of former Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns man Thabiso Kutumela and Thabang Sibanyoni, scoring from open play has eluded them. He also made a slight suggestion that perhaps he would need to make personnel switches up front and freshen it up with the club’s academy players.

“We are creating the chance and repetition is key and we do it in training as well but when the game comes, the mentality changes or the atmosphere changes but something changes,” he explained.

“It is worrying to be honest but we’re not a big squad so we have to sacrifice different attributes for others when picking players. We have a young boy in the DDC (DStv Diski Challenge) (Ntlonelo) Bomelo who was recently called to the Cosafa squad, because he’s banging in the goals so maybe it’s sooner or later that he gets his chance.”