Senong and Letsholonyane open unbeaten at FC Platinum with four clean sheets
The South African coaching pair have taken three wins and a draw from their first four games in charge of the Zimbabwean PSL side, without conceding a goal.
Thabo Senong and Reneilwe “Yeye” Letsholonyane are unbeaten in their first four matches in charge of the Zimbabwean Premier Soccer League club FC Platinum, with five goals scored and none conceded.
Senong was appointed head coach in July, replacing Joel Luphahla, and the former Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana midfielder Letsholonyane joined him as assistant. As The South African reported on 21 September, the pair waited more than three weeks for their work permits before they could officially take charge.
The results since then: a 1-0 win over Agama on Senong’s debut, a 2-0 win over Blackrock in the ZIFA Munhumutapa Challenge Cup, a 0-0 draw with Scottland, and a 1-0 win over ZPC Kariba. Three wins, one draw, four clean sheets.
The goalless draw with Scottland carries the most weight of the four. Scottland are the league leaders, and keeping them out suggests the new bench has installed organisation and discipline quickly without abandoning the attacking approach the club is used to.
Senong is not satisfied with the defensive record alone. Ahead of the ZPC Kariba match he said the squad had worked on physical and tactical aspects, individually and collectively, and he identified efficiency in the final third as the area that still needs work. That is the next problem for the project: FC Platinum have become hard to score against, and turning that solidity into more goals matters as the season enters its closing stages.
Letsholonyane brings his own record to the partnership. The 44-year-old spent last season as head coach of the Botswana Premier League side Matebele FC, keeping the club in the top flight and earning a Coach of the Season nomination. He has described the move to Zimbabwe as a chance to gain international experience and keep developing as a coach.
For South African readers, the appointment is a familiar pattern in a new place. Senong has coached at national youth level and in the domestic game, and Letsholonyane is one of the better-known recent products of the South African midfield. Both are now working outside the country’s borders, in a league that South African clubs meet in continental competition and that South African coaches have increasingly treated as a place to build a record. The early numbers suggest the adjustment has been quick.
The partnership is still in its early stages, and four matches are a small sample. But they have already shown what Senong and Letsholonyane are trying to build at FC Platinum.
Source: The South African, What Thabo Senong and Yeye have changed at Zimbabwean club
