Tinkler frustrated by costly mistakes in Sekhukhune’s knockout exit

Sekhukhune United head coach Eric Tinkler believes his side only have themselves to blame for letting a promising position slip away as they crashed out of the Carling Knockout following a defeat to Golden Arrows at the King Zwelithini Stadium on Saturday.

Babina Noko had taken the lead through Bradley Grobler on the stroke of half-time and looked firmly in control after a dominant opening period. But a lapse in concentration after the break allowed the hosts to claw their way back and eventually overwhelm the Limpopo outfit with three unanswered goals.

Speaking after the game, Tinkler cut a frustrated figure, lamenting his side’s failure to turn first-half dominance into a comfortable cushion.

“At half time we didn’t deserve to come in just one-nil up but rather three and the game would’ve been killed off,” he said.

“But I warned the players that the first 15 minute period (in the second half) is going to be very important so they should stay focused because Arrows would commit more numbers and cheat more defensively so we needed to be strong defensively.”

That warning went unheeded. Arrows equalised in the 58th minute through substitute Jerome Karelse, before Ayabulela Maxwele and Ayanda Jiyane completed a stunning turnaround in front of their home supporters.

Tinkler admitted that the goals conceded were largely self-inflicted, highlighting individual errors as the root of their undoing.

“Obviously, we concede the first through an individual error and we backed off, gave them space and time, and the third goal is another mistake which is unfortunate — so hopefully they learn from that,” he said.

It was a tough blow for a Sekhukhune side that had recently surged up to second place in the Betway Premiership standings, powered by a string of disciplined performances. But Tinkler refused to single out players for criticism, instead insisting that such moments form part of the team’s ongoing growth.

“I’m not a magician, I can’t foresee things with a little magic wand prior — but unfortunately these things do happen,” he added.

The veteran coach, who guided Sekhukhune to a top-four finish last season, said his team must quickly shift focus to the league and learn from the collapse.

“I can’t fault the effort, but at this level you get punished for small details. We had the game in our hands and let it go. Arrows wanted it more in the second half, and that’s something we’ll have to fix,” he said.

Sekhukhune will return to domestic action next week, hoping to rediscover the resilience that has characterised their season under Tinkler. For now, though, their Carling Knockout defence ends in disappointment — undone by a ruthless Arrows side that simply refused to back down.