Richards Bay FC coach Brandon Truter was stunned by Ian Otieno’s Man of the Match award, despite their narrow 1-0 Betway Premiership defeat to Orlando Pirates.
Truter felt his team had been largely in control, only to be undone by a late goal from Kabelo Dlamini in the 82nd minute.
The defeat marked Richards Bay’s third consecutive match without a win, and Truter questioned the criteria for Otieno’s recognition. “The Man of the Match for making a double save once off? We were not even really troubled,” Truter stated, suggesting that Pirates didn’t apply enough pressure to warrant the award.
“I think we had it in the bag or at least deserved something out of the game.”
Otieno’s performance was indeed impressive, with crucial saves keeping Richards Bay in the game. However, Truter argued that his side was not under severe attack from the Soweto giants, saying, “We’re difficult to break down. Compliment to them, but we also had our chances, miscued and rushed as well.”
Despite the loss, Richards Bay showed resilience, creating opportunities that they failed to capitalise on. Truter acknowledged this, adding, “We were on the front foot, unlucky we ran out of time there. We had them on the back foot. But massive effort from the boys, thank you to them. I think we deserved a bit more but unlucky, congratulations to Pirates.”
Truter’s tactical decisions were brought into question when he waited until the final minutes to introduce attacking players Thabiso Kutumela and Yanela Mbuthuma. He explained that the game had remained balanced until that point, which is why he delayed the substitutions.
“We were still stable. It was not necessary to open it up,” Truter explained. “I think Sibanyoni and [Justice] Figuareido ran out of legs, hence we made changes. They were open and vulnerable to a counter-attack, that’s what we wanted to do.”
Reflecting on the match, Truter felt that the set-piece leading to Dlamini’s goal was the pivotal moment. “The goal caused us to reshuffle, there was nothing to lose at that stage as well,” he added.
Despite the loss, Richards Bay will look to bounce back, with Truter believing his side has the resilience to turn their form around.
