Seema lauds Siwelele’s winning start but urges more improvement

Siwelele FC coach Lehlohonolo Seema is pleased with how his side have started life in the Betway Premiership but warned that there is still a lot of work ahead.

The team announced themselves in fine style with an impressive 3-1 victory over Golden Arrows at the Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium in their season opener.

Their next challenge takes them to Orbit College’s temporary home at Dobsonville Stadium on Tuesday (7.30 pm kick-off), as the North West-based outfit remains unable to use the Olympia Park Stadium for late matches due to ongoing floodlight repairs.

Seema, making his return to the top flight after parting ways with Sekhukhune United midway through last season, was pleased with his team’s performance but insisted there is still room for improvement ahead of the away trip.

Coming up against the Mwenko Boys — who suffered a 1-0 defeat against AmaZulu in their first ever top-flight match — Seema believes no team will be easy to beat this season and that a lot needs fixing before his side can become the unit he envisions. However, he was happy with his players’ contributions.

“We are playing away from home on Tuesday, it’s not going to be easy, no game will be easy,” Seema said.

“Everybody knows that we are the new kids on the block. We are not saying anything, the only thing is that we have to collect as many points as we can.

“Some of the things here we are still trying to find each other, the players are still trying to understand what I want. We have won, I am happy, but there is still a lot of things that did not go right.

"We can keep the ball better and make better decisions. The goal we conceded was a soft goal, we need to defend better and make sure the opponent doesn’t sniff any opportunities.

“The goals, the way they came, it was exactly how we wanted. Our transitions were better but there is still room to improve, but credit must go to the players.”

Having bought the status of Supersport United, Siwelele took over several players from that squad who flew under the radar last season. With new surroundings and leadership, they have come alive as the team transitions from empty stadiums to potentially packed home venues this campaign.

Vincent Pule and Siviwe Magidigidi were the stand-out performers, not only getting on the scoresheet but impressing throughout the contest.

Despite still needing time to build a well-oiled team, Seema also called for consistency from his side, especially in home matches where they enjoy some of the strongest support in the country.

“In the first 15 minutes, it looked like we were going to lose this game. We spoke about it and knew we had to be resilient and make sure that if we crossed that 15-minute mark the game would open up. We stuck to the game plan.

“We are still trying to find ourselves. Siwelele is a new baby, still needs support. It’s a process and the players understand that, but this is the Betway Premiership — we can’t say we are building forever. You build while you are trying to grind results, especially at home.”