Ronnie Gabriel delighted with Richards Bay show of consistency

After a hard-fought 2-2 draw against Orlando Pirates in their previous match, Bay stuck with an unchanged starting eleven and the decision paid off in a 1-0 win over The Rockets.

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Gabriel says he’s especially pleased to collect points on the road, which is an area in which the team has struggled this season. 

"Coming away from home to gain consistency in term of our away record, so it was more about getting the result here and the group responded very well," said Gabriel.

"Coming back from good games against Stellenbosch and Pirates – good positive results, we kept some continuity in the squad selection and went for a consistent team selection, and the group delivered here.

"It was not an easy encounter, we came up against a good TS Galaxy squad that required us to have a lot of guts, determination, courage and we showed character to come out with these three points here, and we're grateful for this result."

Winger Sanele Barns netted the only goal of the game in the 43rd minute, moving the Natal Rich Boyz closer to a potential top-eight finish, with Gabriel full of praise for the 29-year-old’s impact since returning from Stellies in the January transfer window.

"Sanele Barns has been very good for us this season, we started using him for his maturity and passing the right energy onto the group, and he's leading the youngsters and chipping in with a few goals and assists," the coach added.

"At the end of the game he was also tiring so we had to sacrifice him and go with another holding midfielder to keep the lead."