Cuca Tops will be back in the Debmarine Namibia Premiership next season, head coach Metu ‘Spider’ Tjirovi said when the club’s relegation was confirmed following Sunday’s 3-1 loss to Tigers in Windhoek.
Tops also lost 4-0 to Ongos the day before to rule out any mathematical chance of avoiding the dreaded axe.
Tjirovi lamented the club’s sorry season, which has seen them lose 18 of their 25 matches to date. They have managed one win all campaign, with a further six draws giving them a paltry nine points – eight fewer than fellow stragglers Blue Boys in 15th position.
That solitary win was a 1-0 victory against Julinho Sporting on 30 November.
Nonetheless, Tjirovi is convinced that the team’s brief experience of life in the premiership will aid them in bouncing back from the North East First Division, which they won to gain entry to the national top tier league last season.
He believes the key to making a swift return lies in retaining as many of their players in the off season and investing in quality reinforcements.
“We will bounce back. We’re not going to sell all our players. We can lose three or four but the majority we must keep and just strengthen were we need to,” Tjirovi said.
He said his side has not lacked motivation despite their underwhelming performances and will attempt to restore pride with improved showings in their five remaining matches.
“When it comes to encouragement, I always talk to the players to give their best. It’s a lesson learnt for everyone. We’ll go back to the first division and bounce back up,” said Tjirovi.
Tops captain Junior Kasanga said their time in the big league was not all doom and gloom. He fondly recalled getting to rub shoulders with the likes of African Stars stalwarts Wily Stephanus, Ronald Ketjijere and Charles Hambira.
“It was my first time playing in the premier league; we enjoyed it. We got to play with players that we admire, players who we supported and followed online and on TV,” Kasanga said of the positive takeaways.
“It was a good experience. There are some certain things we need to improve on. As a team it was actually good so we will learn from our mistakes. We will rectify our errors so we come back stronger,” said Kasanga.
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