Richards Bay coach Ronnie Gabriel says, given how things were going, he never imagined his side would win two games in a row, but he felt it was coming.

Bay registered their second successive league win after defeating Polokwane City 2-0 in the Betway Premiership match at King Zwelithini Stadium on Saturday.

Bay’s goals came from set plays, with Tlakusani Mthethwa scoring the first and club’s DStv Challenge graduate, Ntlomelo Bomelo, volleying home the second.

This win has lifted the KwaZulu-Natal club to 12th in the Betway Premiership table with 16 points after 17 matches.

They came into this game having also defeated Marumo Gallants over the weekend, coming from behind to win 2-1 at the same venue in Durban.

“I’m glad you alluded to the fact that you never imagined it, but I kept saying week in and week out that we were playing well and results were not coming,” said Gabriel.

“You know, it has been these types of performances. It was the case against Orlando Pirates, Mamelodi Sundowns, SuperSport United – the big teams.

“We dropped points in the last minute, against SuperSport and we could have been in the top eight by now because the group is playing good football. They are playing high-tempo, aggressive football, playing on the front foot. We are gaining ascendancy, we are taking control of games, and we are creating numerous goal-scoring chances.

“If you look at the stats, we have been creating more goal-scoring chances than any other team in the league.

“It has just been our conversion rate that hasn’t been where it should be. But the goals are coming, and we will get better. We shouldn’t get big-headed after two victories in a row.

“We know we are still near the bottom of the league. We have to continue working hard, continue to be humble, and continue to believe that we can improve our position and move higher up the league.

“This team deserves to be higher up the log because we have the potential to be there.”

As all of Bay’s goals came from set pieces, Gabriel said that if you can’t penetrate opponents through the middle, set plays play a vital role, as plenty of goals around the world are scored from them.

“In world football, 30 percent of goals are scored from set plays,” he said.

“It is only right that we dedicate a certain amount of time to set plays in our weekly training program, and today’s goals all came from them.

“But during open play, we also created numerous chances. The score, I would say with respect to Polokwane, could have been higher.

“We need to get those finer details right until we become a well-polished unit.”