Clinton Larsen admits surprise over Magesi FC topflight promotion push

Magesi currently sit at the summit of the Motsepe Foundation Championship, despite finishing a lowly 12th position in the previous campaign.

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Their sharp rise has been attributed to various factors, but even Larsen admits he didn't expect things to go this well as they now find themselves just nine matches away from a pipe dream.

''In my mind I knew that with the players we had brought on board, we could definitely punch above our weight as a small club. 

''To be number one with 9 games left I think it was a far cry, I really thought we would look better coming into the last 10 games of the season, like top 4 or top 5. I knew that what we were building would allow us to compete this season,'' said Larsen.

It was in February 2023, when Larsen received a call from assistant coach Jackie Ledwaba to step in and help the club avoid relegation from the second tier.

''I basically came halfway through the season, to try and stabilise things at the club together with Jackie Ledwaba. It was not easy at the beginning, I came in to bring in some structure from a coaching perspective and I was very pleased with the response I got from everybody at the club,'' added Larsen.

The catalyst in this remarkable turnaround, according to Larsen, is the player recruitment drive the technical team and management undertook at the beginning of the season.

''Miraculously, It's been 13 months I've been at the club - It's been a lot of hard work behind the scenes. The change was in the offseason, we highlighted the importance of recruiting smartly and I think we have done that,'' he concluded.

With over 20 years' experience under his belt – the last five of which have been spent in the First Division, Larsen also identified key positions he needed to fill in his backroom staff.