Pogiso Makhoye doesn't want to blame his players for the relegation to the NFD!

Orbit College head coach Pogisho Makhoye has refused to point fingers at his players following the club’s relegation from the Betway Premiership, instead choosing to focus on their development and long‑term growth.

His side fell 2‑0 to Orlando Pirates on the final day, a result that saw Pirates crowned champions while sealing Orbit’s drop to the Motsepe Foundation Championship. Two own goals — one from goalkeeper Sabelo Nkomo and another from defender Ndumiso Ngiba — proved decisive.

But Makhoye, who could have been forgiven for showing frustration, cut a measured figure after the match.

“Not the result we wanted and, like you said, those two mistakes changed the whole half‑time talk because we conceded right when we needed to go for the half‑time break,” he said.

“When we came back, we conceded early again when we lost a player through injury so we were still one man short, and unfortunately we were supposed to clear the ball outside.

“We cannot fault these young boys, they gave a good performance and I’m proud of them. We’ve been building this young team for the past six games and I think we are growing. Unfortunately today they knew it’s either the playoffs or we get relegated straight, and we prepared for any situation that would come today.”

Rather than dwell on the result, Makhoye chose to focus on the bigger picture: a young squad gaining experience, even in defeat. For him, the real result may not be reflected on the league table, but in the development of a team still learning how to compete.