Kruger United have no plans to make an immediate change to their technical team despite Tuesday’s 4-0 defeat to Orlando Pirates, with head coach Abram Mongoya retaining the backing of the club’s management.
The heavy loss to the Buccaneers extended Kruger’s winless start to five matches since their promotion to the Betway Premiership.
The Bushbuckridge-based club have collected just one point from a possible 15, with four defeats and one draw leaving them at the bottom of the table.
Their struggles have also been evident in attack, with Kruger scoring only twice in their opening five matches.
Mongoya is facing one of the biggest challenges of his coaching career after guiding Kruger to promotion from the Motsepe Foundation Championship last season.
The transition to top-flight football has proved difficult, with the newly promoted side still searching for their first victory in the Betway Premiership.
Mongoya still has management’s backing
Despite the poor results, sources close to the club indicate that Kruger’s management is not considering an immediate change in the dugout.
There is concern over the team’s results, but Mongoya remains in charge and has been given additional time to help his players adapt to the demands of top-flight football.
“There are concerns because of the results, of course, but the coach is still being supported at this stage,” the source said.
Mongoya also remained positive after the defeat to Orlando Pirates, insisting that his team showed signs of improvement despite conceding four goals.
The coach believes Kruger can become more competitive once the squad adjusts to the pace and intensity of the Premiership.
However, the club is also aware that allowing the situation to continue until the eighth or 10th match of the campaign without a significant improvement could carry serious consequences.
Mongoya’s role in securing promotion remains an important factor in the club’s decision to maintain stability for now.
“He is the one who helped take the team to the Premiership and management understands that this is a completely different level. They don’t want to panic and make decisions too quickly. But football changes very quickly and results will always determine what happens. The next few matches will obviously be very important,” the source added.
TS Galaxy clash could be crucial
Kruger’s next opportunity to turn their season around comes on September 13, when they face TS Galaxy in a crucial Mpumalanga derby at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit.
The encounter with the Rockets represents an important opportunity for Kruger to move off the bottom of the standings and claim their first league victory of the campaign.
The result could also have a significant bearing on the amount of patience Mongoya continues to receive from the club hierarchy.
For now, Kruger have opted for stability rather than an early managerial change.
But with the club still without a win after five matches and having scored just twice, the pressure on Mongoya is likely to increase if results fail to improve in the coming weeks.
