FREE State Stars general manager Rantsi Mokoena was in a relaxed mood this week ahead of their all-important relegation decider on Saturday.
Speaking to SunSport, Mokoena did not show any signs of panicking or stress ahead of their match against fellow relegation candidates Chippa United at Goble Park in Bethlehem on Saturday. He is confident they will survive the dreaded axe.
The weekend’s round of matches will bring the curtain down on what has been an entertaining and unpredictable season. All eight the PSL fixtures kick off simultaneously at 3pm.
“You can merely prepare for such matches. You could jump and down and make noise, but the most important thing is being well prepared for the match,” said Mokoena.
“The good thing about this match is that our fate is in our hands. If we get the three points, we are safe.
“We do not have to worry about the results of other matches. We do not have to worry about whether Mamelodi Sundowns beat Highlands Park or not. We do not need to be concerned about the permutations at all,” he added.
Stars are on a bit of a high after bagging four points in their last two matches. They defeated champions Bidvest Wits 3-1 before securing a point in their scoreless draw with Bloemfontein Celtic.
Mokoena also pointed out the advantage of playing this last match of the Absa Premiership season at home. “We will be playing in front of our home crowd and that should give us the edge.
“We don’t have to depend on other clubs. We have no stress, we’re playing at home at Goble Park and we don’t want last minute drama on the day – we’ve had enough drama this season,” he added.
Mokoena said they had a difficult start to the season because of the news that the club would be sold.
“That unsettled everyone at the club big time. We also had French coach Denis Lavagne who did not exactly work out.
“Giovanni Solinas struggled too and could not get the desired results. On top of that we had serious injuries to key players, and some players left the club.”
