Richards Bay FC will announce Siboniso Gumede as the club’s new assistant coach when they will unveil their new head coach next week Monday.
Last season Gumede was the club’s head coach in the DStv Diski Challenge in their debut campaign in the top flight.
The KwaZulu-Natal club is currently without a head coach after they didn’t renew the contract of Vasili Manousakis along with his assistants Pitso Dladla and Ronnie Gabriel.
The Natal Rich Boyz’s management were not enthused by the calamity of the club last season especially in the second half, winning only one game unlike seven in the first round.
After winning seven league games in the first round, they were sitting in second place in the DStv Premiership table before the enforced FIFA World Cup break, only behind league champions Mamelodi Sundowns.
But Bay found things hard going in the second half, winning only one game which came in January against Marumo Gallants and they did not win any of their 15 matches after that until the season ended.
They finished 13th in the DStv Premiership table, and escaped relegation only based on their great first half of the campaign, failing to meet the aim of the club which was to finish in the top eight. With that ambition not being met, club boss Sifiso Biyela decided to release all three coaches.
The club confirmed that the new coach will be appointed on Monday, with Cavin Johnson and Luc Eymael rumoured to be potential candidates.
Meanwhile, iDiski Times have learnt that Gumede, who was born in Empangeni where Bay are from, will become an assistant coach. He was a solid defender and played for AmaZulu, Bidvest Wits, Mpumalanga Black Aces and Platinum Stars, where his career ended in 2016/17 season.
He was the runners-up in the Nedbank Cup finals in 2009/10 with AmaZulu against Wits and also with Wits when they lost to Orlando Pirates in the 2013/14 season.
He was also unlucky as he lost the Telkom Knockout Cup final with Wits against Pirates in the 2011/12 season.
Story by Robin-Duke Madlala (@duke_robin).
