21 May 2023

Extension Gunners’ 1-0 win over BDF IX at Molepolole Sports Complex on Saturday was for prestige as the Lobatse side has already been relegated.

Speaking in a post-match interview, Extension Gunners coach, Daniel ‘Chico’ Nare, gave credit to the players saying they did well especially in the first 25 minutes.

He said they needed to test themselves and see if they would be able to retain the players they had, given the team’s current  challenges heading to the first division.

Nare said their biggest problem now was the team’s debt amounting to P1.5 million incurred over the years. It is for unpaid salaries, transport as well as technical and administrative issues.

Should the team manage to clear the debt, he said it would be able to call upon sponsors to help re-build the side.

Nare said he believed that relegation was the best thing that could have happened to Gunners because they were in a serious mess that needed to be cleaned.

He added that it was going to be difficult to keep players as the team could not even afford to buy them lunch or provide transport to the games.

Coach Nare called on the Gunners family across the country to converge a national meeting and strategise to save the team.

Coach Nare decried lack of money as a hindrance to the growth and development of the team, adding that failure to sign players would be a great challenge in the first division league.

Nare said if Gunners wanted to gain promotion in the first year of their stay in the first division they would have to be serious and get players that could give them the desired results.

When quizzed on his future with Gunners, Nare said his future lied with Gunners, but it would be upon the management to show their intent for him to be part of the team.

He said Gunners was a brand, but needed to restructure, regroup and restrategise.

For his part, BDF IX coach, Letang Kgengwenyane, said they did not come to the party as they allowed Gunners to control the game and were punished with a silly goal from a mistake that should not have happened.

He said his players failed to carry out his instructions and wanted to increase the intensity of the game in the second half.

The coach added that their intention was to salvage their status in the top eight.

Kgengwenyane said they knew that Gunners would approach the game with nothing to lose as they were already relegated.

Even though BDF IX put a lot of pressure on Gunners, they could not get their break with several of their chances lost and Gunners goalkeeper Lesang Senne saving several attempts from their opponents.

It was Gunners Kabo Matshula who gave them a lead on the 74th minute as BDF defense were caught napping.

In the dying minutes of the second half, BDF IX launched an onslaught on Gunners piling pressure and getting several corner kicks that saw Gunners defenders working overtime to guard their posts.  ENDS