Richards Bay struggles continue after loss against Chiefs

Richards Bay FC closed out last season on a strong note, even sneaking into the top eight at the very last moment. However, their new campaign has taken a far less promising turn, with Kaizer Chiefs condemning them to their fourth consecutive defeat in all competitions. 

A narrow 1-0 loss at the FNB Stadium on Tuesday night continued their winless run and highlighted the problems the club faces in trying to rediscover form.

The decisive moment came in the second half, when Gaston Sirino found the back of the net to secure Chiefs’ third straight victory. For the KwaZulu-Natal side, though, the performance ranked among their poorest so far this season. 

The Natal Rich Boys managed to hold on during the first half, keeping the game tight despite constant Chiefs pressure, but after the break they struggled to cope and spent much of the half chasing shadows without creating a lot of their own chances.

With three defeats in as many games, head coach Ronnie Gabriel admitted that his side had failed to carry out their plans on the night, overwhelmed by the intensity and pressure Amakhosi applied throughout the contest.

“Coming to this match on the back of two losses, we felt our performances were good even though we had lost,” Gabriel reflected after the game.

“After analysis we had a lot of final entries, we dominated the opponent in possession, there was a lot of synergy in the team in the last two games. Coming into this game we expected a bit more, but we were dominated in possession against a very good Chiefs team.

“We managed to hang on in the first half and went into the break without conceding. In the second half we planned to keep it tight and cagey before going offensive, but it wasn’t to be. 

"We lost the ball in midfield and allowed Chiefs to counter-attack us. It was not what we had planned for.”

Part of Richards Bay’s struggles stem from the loss of several key players during the off-season. With the replacements unable to match the same level of quality, cracks have already begun to show just weeks into the campaign. 

The next fixture against fellow strugglers Chippa United now looms large, as Gabriel’s side searches for both points and confidence.

“It’s not the best start to the season, and no team would like this kind of start,” Gabriel admitted. 

“The first two games were not bad, but today was not the best. Ideally we would have liked to pick up points, but it wasn’t to be.

“We are trying to get a lot of youngsters into the team and get them used to the rigours of the PSL, and we believe it will come right soon. 

“We want to improve on last season’s position, we wanted to finish higher coming into this campaign. We do not have a specific mandate, but we would like to have an improved showing compared to last season.”

With the season ending on a high in the last campaign, Gabriel will be hoping that his side can take confidence from that and pick up their performance to avoid going through another season battling to stay up.