Richards Bay coach Ronnie Gabriel feels that fortune has abandoned his squad.

The Bay suffered their sixth straight loss against SuperSport United at King Zwelithini Stadium on Friday, a match where they were dominant for most parts.

They wasted a penalty chance in the 36^th minute when Nkosikhona Ndaba’s poorly placed shot was saved by Thakasani Mbanjwa.

Despite their control over the match, Richards Bay fell behind when veteran striker Bradley Grobler netted a precise first-time shot in the 89^th minute, allowing the visitors to take all three points and alleviate some pressure from their coach, Gavin Hunt, whose team had been outperformed.

Gabriel expressed his thoughts on the team’s challenging phase: “Experience tells us that there are seasons where things simply don’t go your way,” he noted.

“Hopefully, as the season progresses, favorable moments will start to come our way. We need to keep believing and trusting that the footballing Gods will eventually show us favor, allowing us to turn our fortunes around and achieve a win.

“In situations like these, yes, it seems like luck is not on our side. Just look at the match today – we missed a penalty, controlled the game, but they struck late, and we walked away with nothing.

“It’s a letdown, but we must learn from this and improve how we finish our matches as we prepare for the encounter against Golden Arrows.”

Club chairman Sifiso Biyela praised the team’s effort, describing it as their best performance of the season.

SuperSport coach Gavin Hunt echoed Gabriel’s sentiments, acknowledging his team was fortunate to secure the victory. He highlighted the importance of the three points for his squad’s morale.

“It was genuinely tough for Bay, but I must commend the pitch; it was in excellent condition,” Hunt stated.

“We had our moments where we tried to execute our play. For us, tonight was more about achieving a result than delivering a stellar performance.

“Both teams have faced challenges in securing wins lately, and this created some anxiety and hesitancy in our approach.

“Gaining these points was vital for both teams, more than a noteworthy performance. We were lucky with the penalty; I thought at the time, ‘Here we go again’ when it was awarded.

“Ultimately, the key takeaway is the points, which provide a slight uplift and some space to breathe. However, this relief is temporary since we have another match coming up this weekend, just like everyone else.”