ABC Motsepe League side PE Stars coach Duran Francis believes scoring more goals is what will help keep his team on top of the log until the end of the season.
Stars beat Butterworth FC 1-0 on Saturday to top the log standings.
The goal, which was courtesy of Ruwan Xundu, moved the team’s goal scoring tally to 50 goals, making Stars the first side in the league to reach this milestone this season.
The Port Elizabeth-based soccer side are tied on 53 points with second placed Bizana Pondo Chiefs and Mthatha Bucks, but Stars are above them due to a better goal difference.
The coach said their main focus had been on scoring goals and with the core of their team being attacking players it has worked in their favour.
“But overall, I think it is good for the Eastern Cape to have four teams competing for the league as it shows the quality of the teams and the players,” Francis said.
“However, for me even before we were considering goal difference we focused on scoring goals and luckily for us we have been scoring goals.
“I have never really looked at the fact the we are the first team to actually score 50 goals this season.
“That is a reflection of the players applying themselves.
“I think for the last five games we can push on to score a few more goals which will benefit us going forward.”
The coach praised his players for the team’s good run.
“The boys have been working hard and we have been focusing a lot on scoring goals.
“We have worked hard in also being organised and not conceding goals, but when you are playing attacking football you are always going to concede.
“My philosophy is simple, if we score more goals than the opposition we will win and that has worked out well for me so far.”
He said the players had executed that philosophy very well in the last couple of months. They can now see the rewards for themselves because one does not end up at the top of the log by mistake – it is all through hard work.
Speaking on the last five matches the coach said: “I think it is tough for everybody but mostly on the players because some of them have not been in a position like this.
“So it’s a good experience for them going forward in their careers – to know what it feels like to fight for a championship.
“So for me its all about the individual and how they will improve in every game and how they will deal with the situation.
“It’s nice to win and celebrate but also dealing with a loss is also important.
“Losing one game does not mean you are out of the race.
“There are a lot of things that we have to consider, but overall everybody is going to be in the same position for the last five games.
“My focus is on my team and we know what we need to do to push for the number one spot,” he said.