Magesi head coach Allan Freese is confident that his team will retain their Betway Premiership status by winning the promotion/relegation playoffs.
Dikwena tsa Meetse have been in survival mode since they gained a historic promotion to the top tier of South African football as 2023-24 Motsepe Foundation Championship winners.
The Limpopo outfit made more history in November 2024 when they beat Mamelodi Sundowns 2-1 in the Carling Knockout final to lift the trophy on their debut.
Magesi finished the 2024-25 campaign just four points above the danger zone in 13th place under Owen Da Gama, but they replaced him John Maduka in the off-season.
However, Maduka struggled to get the best out of his players and parted ways with the club in February after winning just two of his opening 13 league matches.
Freese did marginally better, winning three of his 14 games at the helm, including a 1-0 success over Richards Bay on the final day of the season to climb off the foot of the table on goal difference.
Freese’s side will face MFC winners Milford and runners-up Cape Town City in a round-robin tournament for the right to play in the top division next term..
“We’ve given ourselves another opportunity to stay in the league. We will give it our best,” Freese said.
“I must be confident to go there and win. Nobody else will give me confidence. I must be confident and put that confidence into the players to say ‘we can do it’. It’s another challenge against different teams from a different league.
“We had to win that last game against Bay. We didn’t have any other choice, especially playing at home. We won the game and now we have to prepare for the playoffs.”
