Co-coach Papi Zothwane has rued Richards Bay’s missed opportunity to break into the top eight after the KwaZulu-Natal side lost to AmaZulu in the Betway Premiership on Saturday.
The Natal Rich Boyz went down 2-1 to their provincial rivals at Moses Mabhida Stadium.
A victory over AmaZulu would have seen Richards Bay complete a league double over their neighbours this season and move into the top eight with 26 points after 21 matches.
Instead, the defeat saw them slip to 12th place on the table with 23 points from 21 games.
“I think today [Saturday] was not a game of many chances,” Zothwane said after the match.
“The KZN derby is not about what happened before, but about who wants it the most. I think we wanted it, but AmaZulu wanted it more because they are competing for a top-four finish.
“If we had won this game, we would have moved into the top eight. Unfortunately, with the goals we conceded, I think we could have done better. But credit must go to AmaZulu; they were clinical with the chances they created.
“For us, we could have defended better, especially with the second goal. But overall, I can’t fault the players’ effort because we knew that in the second half our players would be tired after the match we played [on Wednesday away against Orlando Pirates], which took a lot out of them.
“We just have to move on, give credit to AmaZulu and focus on the next match against Durban City FC.”
Richards Bay will face Durban City in their next fixture at Chatsworth Stadium on 22 March.
