French-Moroccan coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has, for the time being at least, steered struggling Marumo Gallants FC clear of the relegation zone.
On Saturday, Ouaddou, the former Moroccan national team captain, guided Gallants to a slender 1-0 win over beleaguered Cape Town City on their home turf. It was a terrific victory after Gallants held out bravely to protect an early lead, thanks to the striking instincts of Malawian forward Gabadinho Mhango, who scored in the seventh minute.
City, who fielded a stronger side — on paper at least — was unable to recover from that setback. Midway through the second half, City made a raft of changes in the hope of scoring. Gallants also introduced substitutes who were tasked with preserving the lead.
Ouaddou was not entirely pleased with his side’s playing style, but he emphasized that the most important thing was securing match points.
“It was not an easy game against very good players with big talent,” said Ouaddou, who was in charge of only his fifth game at Gallants.
“I cannot say that we had a great game in terms of possession or football. For a club in our position, it is a big emergency as we are looking for points. We don’t care about the way we are playing. It’s not about how you play; it’s about collecting the points.”
It was a fruitful trip to the Mother City, where Ouaddou made headlines just over a year ago when Gallants played a CAF Confederation Cup match against Stellenbosch FC at Cape Town Stadium in Green Point.
At the time, he was the coach of DR Congo giants AS Vita and was dismayed by the club’s slipshod travel arrangements, which saw his squad arrive in Cape Town just a few hours before kick-off. He resigned at the post-match press conference.
Like several other Betway Premiership coaches, Ouaddou is planning to use the upcoming break for international matches to work with his squad. He said the primary objective is for the club to avoid relegation by the time the season ends in May.
Gallants are currently in 13th position in the 16-team league, with 22 points — one point ahead of Richards Bay FC and SuperSport United, who follow with 21 points each.
