After losing 1-0 to Kruger United on Sunday, Highbury head coach Kabelo Sibiya says they will head back to the drawing board to fix what needs fixing ahead of the league game against the University of Pretoria.
The vital Motsepe Foundation Championship soccer encounter will take place at the Gelvandale Stadium on Friday (3.30pm).
Highbury were hoping to pick up from their end-of-the-year two-match winning streak to start 2025 on a high note when they returned to action on Sunday, but things did not go their way.
Despite the setback, the Gqeberha side remain 11th on the log with 19 points from 15 matches.
AmaTuks are eighth on the log with 21 points from 15 matches. They have five wins under their belt, with six draws and four defeats.
Reflecting on their loss, Sibiya admitted his players were not at their best.
“We didn’t play well honestly. We gave our opponents the chance to dominate the game,” the 41-year-old mentor said.
“It looks like the break took a lot from us. We finished the year well. We were on a two-game winning streak and then we came back and we struggled.
'This was our first game for this year. We can’t make excuses. We just have to go back and work hard, even though the goal that we conceded I believe we could have done better to defend it.
“We could have drawn that match. We had some chances that we missed, but we have to look forward to the next match against Tuks on Friday.”
Midway through the season, Highbury have done fairly well as newcomers but they have lacked consistency.
In the 15 league matches, they have won five, lost six and drawn four.
The log is so tight that a win on Friday could see Highbury move into the top-eight bracket.
HeraldLIVE
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