Johannesburg – Under-fire Moroka Swallows coach Zeca Marques could not hide his relief after his team romped to a 2-0 win over Platinum Stars, breaking their eight-match winless streak in their league clash in Dobsonville.
Marques, known for taking off his jacket and throwing it in the air when his Birds find the back of the net, instead held it tight on Wednesday night as he watched his charges fighting for maximum points.
“Obviously we are delighted with this result. We showed character and we proved we can play defensively,” Marques said.
“We worked on the strategy today and it went well. I hope we can work on it again going forward.
“This (win) is a huge relief and perfect Christmas gift for me.”
Bennett Chenene scored in the 38th minute and Katlego Mashego netted seven minutes later to wrap up the result for Swallows in the first half, but Marques gave credit to the hosts for putting up a fight in the second period.
“It wasn't easy at the end. Platinum Stars threw everything at us,” Marques said.
“We knew that if we defended well we could catch them on the counter. It was a great strategy that paid off for us.”
The victory elevated Swallows to 11th position on the table going into the league break.
Stars, meanwhile, held on to third position, four points behind pace setters Kaizer Chiefs, after a super first half of the league campaign. – Sapa