African distraction no more, Gallants mentor Mdaka takes lessons learnt into PSL survival clash

Marumo Gallants coach Raymond Mdaka said a singular focus for Saturday's relegation battle against Swallows FC will serve them well, especially now that they only have one goal to focus on after their CAF Confederation Cup exit on Wednesday.

Gallants lost their second-leg semi-final 2-1 to Tanzania's Young Africans, a result that saw them lose the tie 4-1 on aggregate after losing the first leg 2-0 in Dar es Salaam last week.

On the domestic front, Gallants are 15th on the DStv Premiership log after Maritzburg United's 1-1 draw against Mamelodi Sundowns on Tuesday, but they would survive automatic relegation or the promotion/relegation playoffs if they draw or beat Swallows at the Dobsonville Stadium on Saturday.

While Mdaka was proud of how his team conducted themselves in the Confed Cup, there are also lessons they need to apply not just in Saturday's key game, but in other tournaments going forward.

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"We have been doing things one at a time and focusing on what is in front of us," Mdaka said.

"We're done with this tournament now and we've closed the chapter on this one, so we now need to focus on the game that's coming on Saturday.

"There have been a lot of lessons, and should we find ourselves in the same competition as a team, or the players find themselves there, they'll understand most of the situations.

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"It is of course very different because how you play in South Africa there's a lot more space, whereas there's a lot more physicality in CAF games.

"Teams at this level have a lot more things that work for them to thrive in this