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TIGHT BUDGET FORCE BIRDS TO FLY LOW

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Zeca Marques (far left) is happy with what he has in his Swallows team, even though he might add a few players to stabilise the Soweto club.Photo byGallo Images
Zeca Marques (far left) is happy with what he has in his Swallows team, even though he might add a few players to stabilise the Soweto club.Photo byGallo Images

GLADAFRICA Championship team Swallows will not be spending too much in the transfer market due to a tight budget strains, according coach Zeca Marques.

However, the outspoken mentor revealed that they might sign just two players before the window period closes on 31 August.

The Soweto-based outfit, who are still operating under the name Maccabi FC, started their ambition of returning to the top flight with a 1-1 draw against TS Sporting in the GladAfrica Championship match in Dobsonville at the weekend.

Said Marques: “We are assessing the team and we are nearly there. We can’t have a big squad because we don’t have the budget. The small squad is easy to manage.”

The coach nicknamed “Mr Lollipop”, due to his love of sucking a lollipop during games, told SunSport that they won’t sign midfielder Jabulani Shongwe.

He went on: “We are not assessing him, but he is training with us (to keep fit).”

The 58-year-old is confident that his experience in the national first division will help his side achieve their target, despite a poor start to the season.

“I have been there in the NFD before as I coached Black Leopards to success. I know what is expected and the demands are more. It’s important that we score more goals, but we had a better defensive organisation in our last game.The more we work hard, the better our chances of reaching our goal.”

Marques preferred to play his cards close to his chest without revealing how many points they need to accumulate to return to the land of milk and honey.

Swallows face Cape Umoya in their next league game at Athlone Stadium on Friday (3pm).

Explained Marques: “We have the number of points we need in mind. But it’s important to focus on one game at a time. We don’t have to look into the future because it’s not a crystal clear ball. We will eventually reach there, as long as we put our mind to the job at hand.”

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