The
Vodacom Premier League is slowly starting to take shape. Here are the talking
points from the latest round of action in the #LPL. Enjoy!
 |
| Let the good times roll... Phafa Tšosane (right) is one of the many on-form Matlama players |
Matlama
doing… fabulous
Matlama are riding the crest of a wave.
Five matches won in a row and Tse Putsoa
have opened up a four-point cushion at the top of the Vodacom Premier League. Matlama
have been helped by the form of pre-season title favourites Lioli and Bantu.
Lioli have struggled lately and are without a win in three league games.
Conversely, Bantu started poorly and have only started to find form in their
last three outings.
While Lioli and Bantu have faced
challenges Matlama have been clicking. The form of Motebang Sera, in particular,
has been a bright spot. The young striker scored both goals in Matlama’s win 2-1
over Liphakoe in Quthing on Sunday and he now has seven goals for the season. Tse Putsoa’s next games, however, will reveal
a lot about where their season can go. Next up, Matlama face LCS followed by
back-to-back games against Lioli and Bantu. We are about to find out what
Matlama really has.
Likhopo
stutter, Sandawana soars
After reaching the summit of the league
at the beginning of the month, Likhopo have lost two in a row to drop to fourth.
Last week they suffered a heart-breaking last minute loss to Matlama and this
week they were outplayed at home by Sandawana. It has been a humbling two weeks
for the young side and their young coach Shalane Lehohla. The Red Army need to recover quickly from
this stumble or their early season promise might be lost.
Their conquerors Sandawana, meanwhile, are
on a brilliant run. Saturday’s win was their fifth in a row; the joint best run
of form with Matlama. It is difficult to say how long they can keep it up, but
one thing is for sure: Bob Mafoso’s has made a remarkable impact since joining
the club. Since his arrival last month the Butha-Buthe side hasn’t dropped a point.
Form
Table – Last five games
G
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
GF
|
GA
|
Pts
|
||
1
|
Matlama
|
5
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
11
|
5
|
15
|
2
|
Sandawana
|
5
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
9
|
2
|
15
|
3
|
LCS
|
5
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
6
|
3
|
10
|
4
|
Bantu
|
5
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
5
|
2
|
10
|
5
|
Likhopo
|
5
|
3
|
0
|
2
|
9
|
6
|
9
|
LCS
under the radar
One team that is flying under the radar
is LCS. They have silently compiled the league’s joint second best record over
the past month and they recorded another win with a 3-1 victory over Rovers on
Sunday. Mpitsa Marai has done a steady job since taking charge in June. The
former LCS captain hasn’t made drastic changes but he is clearly trying to
build the efficient machine he played for during Masheshena’s glory days.
The form of Lieta Lehloka has been a big
plus. Lehloka was an exciting youngster when Marai was captaining LCS, now the
midfielder is one of Masheshena’s
leaders. Lehloka has been a revelation in a more attacking role. He shared the
top scorer award at the Independence Cup and he scored a brace against Rovers
to continue his rich vein of form. LCS are sixth but they are only five points
off the top of the league. Don’t sleep on Masheshena.
 |
| Three wins in three... Don't sleep on Bantu either |
Watch
out for Bantu
Speaking of not sleeping, keep an eye
out for Bantu as well. Pound-for-pound, the Mafeteng giants have the best squad
in the country. And, after a poor start which saw them fall to tenth, Bantu now
have many things to be positive about.
A
Matšo Matebele
are on a three-match winning streak in the league after Sunday’s 1-0 win over
Linare.
They won the Independence Cup three
weeks ago and now they have 2014 title-winning coach Motlatsi Shale back in
charge. All is looking sweet again in Mafeteng, and that could spell trouble
for the rest of the league.
Week 10 Results
Saturday
Likhopo 1-2 Sandawana
Lioli 0-0 Kick4Life
LMPS 0-0 Mphatlalatsane
Sunday
Linare 0-1 Bantu
Liphakoe 1-2 Matlama
LDF 1-0 Likila United
LCS 3-1 Rovers
Vodacom
Premier League
P
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
GF
|
GA
|
GD
|
Pts
|
||
1
|
Matlama
|
9
|
7
|
1
|
1
|
17
|
9
|
8
|
22
|
2
|
Lioli
|
9
|
5
|
3
|
1
|
12
|
5
|
7
|
18
|
3
|
Sandawana
|
11
|
5
|
3
|
3
|
13
|
12
|
1
|
18
|
4
|
Likhopo
|
9
|
5
|
2
|
2
|
16
|
7
|
9
|
17
|
5
|
Bantu
|
9
|
5
|
2
|
2
|
9
|
5
|
4
|
17
|
6
|
LCS
|
9
|
5
|
2
|
2
|
9
|
5
|
4
|
17
|
7
|
Rovers
|
10
|
4
|
2
|
4
|
8
|
9
|
-1
|
14
|
8
|
Kick4Life
|
11
|
2
|
6
|
3
|
7
|
11
|
-4
|
12
|
9
|
LDF
|
10
|
2
|
5
|
3
|
6
|
8
|
-2
|
11
|
10
|
Likila United
|
11
|
3
|
2
|
6
|
10
|
14
|
-4
|
11
|
11
|
Linare
|
11
|
3
|
1
|
7
|
12
|
16
|
-4
|
10
|
12
|
Liphakoe
|
10
|
1
|
5
|
4
|
5
|
9
|
-4
|
8
|
13
|
LMPS
|
11
|
1
|
5
|
5
|
9
|
13
|
-4
|
8
|
14
|
Mphatlalatsane
|
10
|
1
|
3
|
6
|
6
|
15
|
-9
|
6
|
Correct
as of November 22, 2015
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