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| Who will slip first? Kick4Life and Lioli are part of an apparent three-horse race for the Vodacom Premier League title |
The Vodacom
Premier League is almost at the halfway stage and after the weekend’s action
things are starting to take shape.
Things
are clearing up at the top…
Half of the
Vodacom Premier League season is almost in the books and the league finally appears
to be taking shape when it comes to the contenders for the title.
Inconsistency had
been the name of the game over the first weeks of the season as no team apart
from Kick4Life separated themselves from the pack.
Despite slipping
of late (collecting just four points from the last available nine), Kick4Life have
done well to stay at top of the Vodacom Premier League with an impressive
record of eight wins from 12 games. Leslie Notši’s team have only lost twice raising
hopes they can pull off Lesotho’s very own Leicester City story.
However, it will
be difficult to do with champions Lioli finally seeming to catch fire.
Tse
Nala
have scored 13 goals in their last three games including a 4-1 outclassing of
Kick4Life and they are one again first in the Vodacom Premiership, ahead of
Kick4Life on goal difference. Most impressively, Lioli’s goals have been
shared. Of those 13 goals in the last three outings, Tumelo Khutlang has scored
five, Tšepo Seturumane three, Tšoanelo Koetle two, Tšepo Lekhooana two and
Bushy Moletsane has one.
The third team
in the race is Bantu. Compared to the other two, A Matšo Matebele have had a stop-start campaign that has been hit
by postponements and drama.
As a result, Bantu
have not been as convincing. In fact, their 2-1 win over LCS on Sunday followed
successive goalless draws with Sky Battalion and Sundawana. However, the
Mafeteng giants are still well placed. With 24 points, Bantu are just two behind
the joint leaders Lioli and Kick4Life, and they have a game in hand.
The
relegation picture is also becoming clear
Just as things
are becoming clear at the top, the bottom of the league is also clearing up. As
things stand, Rovers, Likhopo and Butha-Buthe Warriors are the teams at the basement.
Between them they have only managed three wins in 35 matches this season and
one of those wins was Rovers’ 2-0 victory over Likhopo on Saturday, so things
are not looking good for these three teams.
What is most
worrying is the gap that is beginning to grow between them and the rest of the
league. Butha-Buthe Warriors have two points, Likhopo have four and Rovers have
eight. The next side above them is Liphakoe and they have 12 points.
Warriors,
Likhopo and Rovers have to get something from this week’s final games of the
first round. If not, they will start 2017 as the sure contestants for the two
relegation spots.
Form Guide – Last 6 Games
P
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
GF
|
GA
|
Pts.
|
||
1
|
Lioli
|
6
|
4
|
1
|
1
|
16
|
6
|
13
|
2
|
Kick4Life
|
6
|
4
|
1
|
1
|
10
|
7
|
13
|
3
|
Bantu
|
6
|
3
|
3
|
0
|
8
|
1
|
12
|
4
|
Matlama
|
6
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
11
|
4
|
11
|
5
|
Sundawana
|
6
|
2
|
4
|
0
|
7
|
4
|
10
|
6
|
LCS
|
6
|
3
|
1
|
2
|
7
|
8
|
10
|
7
|
Sky Battalion
|
6
|
2
|
3
|
1
|
5
|
1
|
9
|
8
|
Linare
|
6
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
12
|
11
|
8
|
9
|
LMPS
|
6
|
1
|
4
|
1
|
4
|
4
|
7
|
10
|
LDF
|
6
|
2
|
1
|
3
|
4
|
8
|
7
|
11
|
Rovers
|
6
|
2
|
0
|
4
|
4
|
9
|
6
|
12
|
Liphakoe
|
6
|
1
|
1
|
4
|
6
|
8
|
4
|
13
|
Butha-Buthe Warriors
|
6
|
0
|
1
|
5
|
3
|
18
|
1
|
14
|
Likhopo
|
6
|
0
|
0
|
6
|
1
|
11
|
0
|
Sky
Battalion continue to impress
While
Butha-Buthe Warriors are struggling, this season’s other new boys Sky Battalion
continue to impress. Although they came into the top-flight as a well-run club,
their start to the season is still quite surprising. So far, Sky Battalion have
won five of their 11 games and have 18 points. They
are riding high in sixth place. On Wednesday, Sky Battalion face Likhopo in a
rescheduled game. If they win they would finish 2016 in the top four.
Looking at their
form, Sky Battalion would be favoured to get something from a game against an
out-of-sorts Likhopo. Sky Battalion have been a tough nut to crack in their
debut premiership campaign and have only lost once since September.
More importantly
they have almost secured survival with half the season to go.
12th place over
the past three seasons
P
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
GF
|
GA
|
Pts.
|
||
2013/14
|
Mphatlalatsane
|
26
|
4
|
11
|
11
|
23
|
32
|
23
|
2014/15
|
Mphatlalatsane
|
26
|
5
|
10
|
11
|
18
|
33
|
25
|
2015/16
|
Rovers
|
26
|
6
|
7
|
13
|
16
|
28
|
25
|
The average
points tally for the final survival spot of 12th place over the past three
seasons is 24 points. It means Sky Battalion need just two more wins to more or
less guarantee their stay in the elite league for another year.
Strikers
are on fire
One difference
from last season is how strikers are finding their scoring touch this term. It
is one of the developing stories of the season. Kick4Life’s Thabiso Brown still
leads the way with eight goals but there are several players who are in top
scoring form at the moment.
For example,
Tumelo Khutlang has scored five goals in his last three games after his
hattrick against Butha-Buthe Warriors on Saturday. Khutlang’s hattrick is already
the fourth of this season joining Bantu’s Litšepe Marabe, Sky Battalion’s Tsietsi
Motšeare and Motebang Sera of Matlama.
It is in contrast
to 2015/16 where goals appeared hard to come by. In the end, Sera finished as last
season’s top scorer with just 13 goals. That tally looks set to be bettered this
season by a crew of in-form strikers, including Sera himself.
 |
| Things have gone south for Jane Thaba-Ntšo and his Matlama teammates... |
Is
Matlama’s title challenge already over?
Last season
Matlama were really good. They were in the title race until the final day. They
were an exciting breath of fresh air with their adventurous football. And they
came within a point of dethroning Lioli in an exciting championship battle.
That performance
raised hopes that with an off-season to build, Tse Putsoa would mount an even more serious title challenge and
finally bring their trophy drought to an end. Matlama are trophy-less since
2010, the last time they won the league.
Things started
well enough and after six games Matlama were the last unbeaten team in the
league.
But fast forward
a few weeks and Matlama’s coach Moses Maliehe is gone and Tse Putsoa are in seventh place with 17 points from 11 games after
being docked three points for their fans’ foolishness. On Saturday, Matlama put
up a gallant display against Kick4Life but they couldn’t get the three points
they needed drawing 1-1.
As it is, the
record ten-time champions are nine points behind the league leaders. They do
have a game in hand, but it is against Bantu and there is no guarantee of a
win. As early as it is, Matlama’s championship challenge may be over.
Vodacom
Premier League Weekend Results
Saturday, 26
November
Likhopo 0-1
Rovers
Matlama 1-1
Kick4Life
Linare 2-2 LDF
Butha-Buthe
Warriors 1-5 Lioli
Sunday, 27
November
Sky Battalion
0-0 Liphakoe
Sundawana 1-1
LMPS
Bantu 2-1 LCS
Standings
P
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
GF
|
GA
|
GD
|
Pts.
|
||
1
|
Lioli
|
12
|
8
|
2
|
2
|
25
|
7
|
18
|
26
|
2
|
Kick4Life
|
12
|
8
|
2
|
2
|
24
|
13
|
11
|
26
|
3
|
Bantu
|
11
|
7
|
3
|
1
|
18
|
4
|
14
|
24
|
4
|
LMPS
|
12
|
5
|
5
|
2
|
10
|
6
|
4
|
20
|
5
|
LCS
|
12
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
14
|
13
|
1
|
19
|
6
|
Sky Battalion
|
11
|
5
|
3
|
3
|
11
|
8
|
3
|
18
|
7
|
Matlama
|
11
|
5
|
5
|
1
|
12
|
5
|
7
|
17
|
8
|
LDF
|
12
|
4
|
5
|
3
|
7
|
7
|
0
|
14
|
9
|
Linare
|
12
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
20
|
18
|
2
|
13
|
10
|
Sundawana
|
12
|
2
|
7
|
3
|
10
|
11
|
-1
|
13
|
11
|
Liphakoe
|
12
|
3
|
3
|
6
|
11
|
16
|
-5
|
12
|
12
|
Rovers
|
12
|
2
|
2
|
8
|
8
|
22
|
-14
|
8
|
13
|
Likhopo
|
11
|
1
|
1
|
9
|
4
|
17
|
-13
|
4
|
14
|
Butha-Buthe Warriors
|
12
|
0
|
2
|
10
|
6
|
33
|
-27
|
2
|
·
Matlama docked 3 points and 3 goals
·
LDF docked 3 points and 3 goals
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