PIC: TS Galaxy coach Adnan Beganovic

TS Galaxy will host second-tier Milford FC in the semi-finals of the Nedbank Cup early next month, hoping to reach their first final since they were winners in 2019.
The Rockets have already ousted giants Mamelodi Sundowns in the competition this season and are the only former winners remaining in the line-up after they famously defeated Kaizer Chiefs 1-0 in the final seven years ago while still a second-tier team themselves.
Current coach Adnan Beganovic has not been in the role for 18 months and has built a squad of talented, hard-working players.
He gives some insight into the team and their goals this campaign.

You seem to be building something special at TS Galaxy, illustrated by your run to the semi-finals of the Nedbank Cup?
From the beginning I have spoken about TS Galaxy setting our goal high. I know it will be difficult and tough. It is not easy to reach that goal. But we believe in ourselves.

Even after five league games without a win, we are united. We agreed about everything, we trained hard, and even while playing cup games we reached the semi-finals.

It is very important to believe in the team and in the process. Over the last two years I think TS Galaxy has built a beautiful future if we continue working like this. We have a small squad and we try to improve all the players we have. If we continue like this, I think we can reach our goal.

Until now I am very proud of my team and my players. I believe we can make beautiful history this year and maybe even have the best season in our history. I want that, and I push my team to believe in it too.

We just need to keep believing in our process because we are very close to our goals.

It has been a juggling act balancing Nedbank Cup duties with the league, but they can also help each other in terms of reaching your goals?
It can be tricky, yes. That is a good question. We could not take the cup games lightly, especially against Marumo Gallants and Sundowns, and also in the other matches. Those games take energy, not only physically but also mentally.

Game by game, you spend more physical and mental energy, and maybe we did not always have enough time to prepare properly for league matches. But when I analyse everything from the last five league games, I feel we deserved more than the 25 points we have now.

Against Sekhukhune at home, how many chances did we miss? Against AmaZulu, how many chances did we create when we were leading? Against Orbit College at home as well, we created so many chances and did not take them. So I think we deserved more.

But we also have to understand that it is a tough process and there is hard work behind us. Nothing comes for free.

Outside people only look at the final result and the points, but we know exactly what we are doing in this club, how we are improving and what style of football we want to play.

So you still feel the team is on the right path despite the recent league run?
Yes, absolutely. I think in every game we have shown that we are a team with an identity. We know how to adapt to different formations. We understand what we need to do when we have the ball.

The most difficult part for us is when we play against teams that sit in a low block and defend all the time. That is difficult for us to break down, especially when they then leave space behind and it becomes tricky to defend transitions as well. We still need to find the best way to solve that.

But in the end, you need to sacrifice something to reach something bigger. I am ready to sacrifice some points if it means reaching a final and having the chance to fight for a trophy. I think it would be beautiful just to play in the (Nedbank Cup) final, and everything is still in our hands. If we keep playing like this, I think we have a very good chance to get there.

Do you think the Nedbank Cup form has helped keep the players’ confidence high even though the league results were not coming?
Yes, a little bit, I agree with you. You need the feeling of winning games, whether it is in the cup or the league. We were lucky to get that feeling again by winning in the cup, even though the next league result did not always go our way.

But I know how difficult that period was. There was a lot of work behind the scenes – group meetings, individual meetings, sitting with players. It is not easy when players lose confidence, because once that happens, everything can go down very quickly.

We were lucky that we recognised that moment in time, stayed calm and talked a lot with the players, especially the young ones. Young players do not always have experience of handling losing and then trying to recover from that. It was very important for us to convince them, explain how we needed to work, how we could fix things, and once again get them to believe in the process.

You often talk about process and structure at the club. How important has that been during this spell?
It is everything for us. We have that pyramid in the club, from the chairman, Tim Sukazi, to the board, then the coaches, the technical team and the players. Everybody has to follow that structure and work for one goal.

If somebody cannot accept the pressure, then obviously they do not deserve to be with us. But I am happy because our players understand the situation. It is not easy to stay in the top eight in this league. Some people may say it is easy, but there is very hard work behind it, especially with young players.

To keep players at a good level over a full 30-game season is difficult work. It is not about being perfect, but about keeping them consistent enough to help the team. That is a much tougher job than people realise.

We have had success even after selling players, and we have stayed on the same level. That is also a good sign because it shows we know how to replace players, how to produce new ones and how to push them to have the same attitude and quality needed to survive in this league.

I think if you look at everything, TS Galaxy has everything to be at least in the middle of the table all the time. I am very proud of my work, very proud of my team, and very proud of my chairman, Tim Sukazi. He understands the process and gives us massive support. I appreciate that and I am very thankful for it.