Orbit College head coach Pogiso Makhoye says the club had already prepared themselves emotionally for relegation before their decisive final-day clash against Orlando Pirates.
Orbit College saw their Betway Premiership fate confirmed following a 2-0 defeat to Orlando Pirates, a result that left them rooted to the bottom of the standings after Magesi FC secured a 1-0 victory over Richards Bay FC. For Makhoye, a founding member of the club, the occasion was painful but also part of the learning process for a young side navigating top-flight football for the first time.
Orbit’s defeat was heavily influenced by two costly own goals, moments that the coach admitted completely shifted the emotional flow of the game.
“Not the result we wanted and, like you said, those two mistakes changed the whole half-time talk because we conceded right when we needed to go for the (half-time) break,” said Makhoye.
“When we came back, we conceded early again when we lost a player through injury so we were still one man short, and unfortunately we were supposed to clear the ball outside.”
Despite the disappointment, Makhoye refused to criticise his squad, instead praising the effort and growth shown by his young players during the closing stages of the campaign.
“We cannot falter these young boys, they gave a good performance and I’m proud of them. We’ve been building this young team for the past six games and I think we are growing,” he said.
“Unfortunately, they knew it’s either the playoffs or we get relegated straight, and we prepared for any situation that would come today.
“We are going down, we have to accept that and move on, and prepare for next season – at least before next season we will be able to have rest and prepare the team well again.”
While relegation marks a painful chapter in the club’s history, Makhoye believes the experience will ultimately strengthen both himself and the team should they earn another promotion in future.
“Indeed it happened like that, but we’ve learnt a lot this season and if we get another chance to get promoted again, I’ll be calmer in this league as an experienced coach because I had to learn somewhere,” he said.
“Where would I get the experience if I did not experience this?
“Maybe I’m the first coach who has experienced everything, from promoting a team to relegating a team, and that’s so nice.”
