MCCREESH DID NOT COME TO THE PARTY’

MANZINI – When Richard McCreesh was substituted for Xolani ‘Papi’ Sikhondze, he caused a scene, questioning the technical bench.

Mbabane Swallows assistant coach Musa Manyatsi has come out to explain why the midfielder was substituted. McCreesh was seen questioning the technical bench before heading to the dressing rooms upon being replaced by Sikhondze. Swallows lost 4-0 to Simba Sports Club during the second leg of the preliminary round of the CAF Champions League which was played at Mavuso Sports Centre yesterday.

“McCreesh did not come to the party and that is why we replaced him with Xolani ‘Papi’ Sikhondze. We wanted someone to push forward, at the same time assisting in the defence where we were exposed. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done,” Manyatsi said.

He further said while the loss could not be pinpointed to a single player, their major downfall was lack of concentration.
“Our intention was to grab an early goal but we lost the plot altogether as we conceded soft goals. It was devastating but the players did try their level best, unfortunately, the results were not in our favour,” he said.

Meanwhile, assistant captain Wonder ‘Samba Jive’ Nhleko said they hoped they would bounce back but the worst happened.
“The battle was not finished in Tanzania as some might think. We were hoping that we would bounce back here at home. We tried our level best but things did not go our way. We just need to accept the results, no matter how hard it is,” Nhleko said.

He also urged fans to accept Birds’ fate and pleaded for their continued support.
Simba Sports Club coach Patrick Aussems said they were happy with the results and were looking forward to the next game.

“We still have to work hard to conquer Africa. Our target is to be among the top five African teams. We were here to attack and get positive results,” he said
The Tanzania-based side will face either US Songo of Mozambique or Nkana FC from Zambia in the next round, which is the last hurdle before the group stages.

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