Dan Malesela: Marumo Gallants’ ambitions clearer for cup exit

Dan Malesela

Marumo Gallants’ coach Dan Malesela will turn his attention back to the Betway Premiership after being eliminated from the Carling Knockout Cup.

Gallants have endured a difficult start to their 2024/25 campaign.

The club are in 14th place on the league standings with one win, one draw and four losses from their opening six games.

They did enjoy some form during their cup run while overcoming Polokwane City and last season’s winners Stellenbosch.

But Gallants then succumbed to a 2-0 loss to Mamelodi Sundowns in the semi-finals of the knockout competition.

Next up for Gallants is an away trip to face SuperSport United and Malesela wants to use this game as a stepping stone to a charge up the table.

He said in the Sowetan: “I don’t want to commit but the ideal thing now is to see ourselves getting away from the position we are in, then we can start setting targets for ourselves.

“The ideal thing is to get away from the bottom, I don’t think this team deserves to be at the bottom.

“As soon as you start collecting points, you ask, where are we going, are we pushing for the top eight or are we saying the status is safe? We are okay, but if you are ambitious and things are obtainable, then you go for them.”

Malesela added that he can see an improvement in his team from since the start of the season.

“What is pleasing is the progress that we seem to be making. It does not only start in this match, since we played Stellenbosch in the league game we started having a different approach in terms of the players’ response and all that,” the coach explained.