Stan Matthews commends 'gutsy' Thanda
Premier Soccer League CEO, Stan Matthews has commended Thanda Royal Zulu for their gutsy efforts in the Promotion Play-offs.
Thanda bowed out of the Promotion Play-offs on Tuesday afternoon following a 3-0 defeat at home to a spirited Chippa United side in Richards Bay.
Despite the loss, Matthews said he has been impressed by the effort shown by Thanda throughout their campaign in the Promotion Play-offs. The PSL CEO, who was in Richards Bay on Tuesday afternoon, also waxed lyrical about the big crowd that came to watch the Thanda Royal Zulu vs Chippa United game.
“Thanda should hold their heads high. Even though they are technically out of the race to win promotion to the Premier Division, there are a lot of positives for them to draw from this campaign and take forward,” Matthews said.
“One of the things that impressed me a lot was the huge crowd that came to watch their game – more especially considering the fact that it was a midweek fixture played at 14h00. This is indicative of the fact that people in that part of the country want to see top flight football. It is our goal as the PSL to take the game to all corners of South Africa,” the PSL CEO added.
Matthews also heaped praises on former Bafana Bafana captain, Neil Tovey for the fantastic work he has done in building a formidable side since taking over the coaching reins at Thanda.
Last Saturday, Thanda stunned many when they defeated Santos 2-1 in their backyard. However, it was Chippa United who ended their dream on Tuesday afternoon.
Chippa United will play Santos in what has been dubbed as ‘Promotion Play-offs Super Saturday’ in Philippi this weekend.
