Walters: it was an expensive lesson

17 September 2012

Maritzburg United goal keeper Shu-aib Walters is calling on his side to show more focus after getting on the score-sheet.


This after the PMB side drew 1-1 with Free State Stars at the Harry Gwala Stadium on Friday night.

The hosts took a 1-0 lead after Mario Booysen’s header with 20 minutes to go, but Stars substitute Dove Wome levelled just five minutes later.

Walters says that the Team of Choice have developed a bad habit – having scored themselves, they too easily allow the opponents to hit back with an equaliser.

Despite sitting top of the Absa Premiership log after four games, Walters, like his coach Ernst Middendorp, is always looking to get as near to perfection as possible.

"Stars came into the game more in the second half. But it's a sickness that we have in our team where we're scoring goals and then sitting back a bit and then panicking.

"The vital point is the five or 10 minute period after you score a goal and we have to work on some tactics to try and slow the game down and get a little bit more composure because you know a team is going to come at you.

"It's an expensive lesson and hopefully in the games to come, won't make the same mistake again," he told PSL.co.za.

While Walters is calling on more focus and concentration, especially from the more defensive-minded midfielders and the back four, he also hopes to see improvements up front.

"In the first half we didn't do justice to ourselves, maybe with a little bit more precision in the final third and the result would have turned out a little bit different," he said.