Richards Bay FC coach hails top eight finish after testing season

The Natal Rich Boys collected all three points with a commanding 2-0 win over struggling SuperSport United at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium.

Gabriel says what made the season special was sticking with their youthful squad from start to finish.

“As the season progressed, we felt that we were coming into it. Remember we started this season with a lot of youngsters and we also ended the season with a lot of youngsters, many DDC players,” Gabriel said.

“And we knew that as the season progressed in terms of adaptation, in terms of level of competition, they will get used to the level of competition in this league and we get used to the level of competition in this league and they will be able to show that they can compete on a weekly basis.”

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Having narrowly avoided relegation through the promotion play-offs last season, Gabriel believes their polished performance against Matsatsantsa reflected the growth and maturity in the squad.

“Today was a polished performance. I think we are very, very happy with the performance today. The way the youngsters came out and showcased their talent and playing with freedom, and enjoying themselves out there. We are very, very happy, so it was a good ending to the season,” he added.

Both teams entered the final-day clash with just one win in their last five games. Andre Arendse’s SuperSport United pushed hard but again failed to find the net.

First-half and second-half goals from Yanele Mbuthuma and Thulani Gumede, respectively, sealed an MTN8 qualification for the KZN side.

Gabriel says they approached the game without dwelling on the log table.

“Realistically speaking, we came to this game, we didn’t think about the top eight and where this result will take us, because we are on a different stage of building up the group that we’ve got.

“We wanted to come and have a well-oiled performance here today. We wanted to improve on our last week’s performance and if it took us higher up the league, then so be it and we are happy about it.”