Free State Stars head coach Themba Sithole understands he is faced with the difficult task of assembling a competitive team for next season.
Ea Lla Koto will be playing National First Division football following their relegation from the Absa Premiership last season.
To cut costs, the club decided to release the majority of the squad and only kept four players around which Sithole is planning to build the team.
Sithole will be assisted by Duncan Lechesa and Paulus Masehe as first and second assistant coaches.
READ: Stars line up Sithole's technical team
It is not the first time the 55-year-old has been asked to pick up the pieces by the Betlehem club. In September 2016 he replaced Frenchman Denis Lavagne, who was fired after failing to win his first three matches.
"To assemble a team it's very, very difficult, especially in our situation where we are starting a team from scratch," Sithole tells snl24.com/kickoff.
"We only have four players remaining here so it's quite hectic but we are trying to do our job and make sure by the end of the day, we march as a team... we have to prepare for the new season.
"Paulus Masehe is one of them, we have got Katlego Mokhuane training with us, we have got Mpho Khabane the young striker is also here, and we have the midfielder from Uganda Kizza is also with us, the rest are all new faces. So those are the only four players at the moment.
"We are going to work locally, we are not going to go anywhere outside. We are just going to go out maybe occasionally for friendly games and come back. So we'll do full preparation. A week ago we engaged in trials and we are assessing players even though we already started the pre-season last week. So this is our second week preparing.
"We are here now, we have to make sure that we assemble a good team and go out there and compete. You know the first division is highly competitive. A lot of things are at stake because you have to try and win every game or at least try and avoid a defeat, especially when you travel.
"We are doing our best to make sure that we have a good team, and then we'll take it from there. As soon as we finish assembling a team then we'll know exactly... we'll start setting up our targets for the coming season. But for now the focus is to make sure that we have a team and then we'll take it from there.
"The mandate issue we'll discuss with the management as soon as we finish assembling the team, because we have to be realistic, it is a new team so we might be given time so that we close all the gaps. After that based on the quality of the players that we get, then we can start putting ourselves in a situation where now we'll know exactly with these materials we have how far can we go."
Asked how he was chosen for the job, Sithole jokingly replied.
"There was nobody to take it, and it's not an easy job as well. So you need somebody that has got a bit of an experience in this league. I'm sure I've been now twice... when we bought the status and when the team got relegated in 2004 under [former coach Roy] Barreto. Then we had to go to the first division and fight. Even though that was in 2004, ten years in football is too much. Things have changed a lot, it's a new crop of players, not like the last time."