The Easter weekend was probably the most
vital of the Vodacom Premier League campaign so far because it has helped shape
the picture of the season.
Certainly, at the top the maths is clear
for Bantu; if A Matšo Matebele win all
their remaining games they will be crowned league champions. It was a good for
other teams as well but there was also disappointment.
 |
| It was a good weekend for Litšepe Marabe (right) and Bantu… |
It was a good Easter for…
Bantu
Bantu are now in firm control of the
title after a 2-0 win over Liphakoe on Monday at Setsoto Stadium. The win
leapfrogged A Matšo Matebele to the
top of the table, two points clear of champions Lioli, with three games to go.
So, the picture is clear now: if Bantu win their last three matches they will
be the new kings of the Vodacom Premier League ending Lioli’s two-year reign.
Bantu will be confident because they
have generally been good at taking care of business this season. On Monday,
Bantu put in another business-like performance against Liphakoe with Thapelo
Mokhehle’s goal of the season contender and Lazola Tjokotjokwana giving James
Madidilane’s side the win.
Bantu’s
remaining league games:
|
23rd April - Bantu v Sky Battalion
(Mafeteng)
30th April - Sundawana v Bantu
(Maputsoe DiFA Stadium)
6th May - Bantu v Kick4Life (Mafeteng)
|
Yes, Bantu took advantage of Lioli’s
misfortune of having to play two games in three days, but the Mafeteng side
won’t mind. The title is now theirs to lose.
Kick4Life
 |
| Celebration time... It has been a good season for Kick4Life... |
Kick4Life collected four points from a
possible six from this Easter weekend after a 1-1 draw with Liphakoe on Friday
and Monday’s last-gasp 1-0 win over LMPS.
The points were enough to move Leslie
Notši’s side a step closer to securing a first top four place in club history.
Kick4Life are six points ahead of fifth-placed LCS with three games left and
another three points would seal a top four finish. Kick4Life, who only made
their Vodacom Premier League debut in 2014, wrap up the season against Rovers,
LDF and Bantu.
Sky
Battalion
This season has had many interesting stories
– Kick4Life’s amazing rise, Lioli’s quest for a three-peat, Bantu’s quest to
stop them, Matlama and Likhopo’s fall – but Sky Battalion’s campaign may be the
most remarkable of them all.
SK are on the
verge of creating history by becoming the first newly-promoted to claim top
four qualification since the turn of the century. There have been wonderful performances
by teams after promotion – Bantu finished sixth in 2009/10, Mpharane Celtics
finished in 2011/12 and Likila United finished sixth in 2013/14. However, no team
has managed to break into the top four immediately after their promotion. In
fact, no clubs outside of Lioli, Matlama, LCS, LDF, LMPS, Likhopo, Bantu and
Linare have qualified for the top four since 2005, period.
 |
| It has also been a good season for Sky Battalion... |
Sky Battalion, nonetheless, put themselves
in position to make history by out-playing Matlama on Monday to grab a well-deserved
1-0 win. The result lifted SK into
fourth place with 38 points, ahead of LCS on goal difference.
This could be a historic season. It might
end with two spots in the top four occupied by novices – Kick4Life and Sky
Battalion.
LDF
LDF only played one game this Easter weekend
but it will have been enough to make coach Motheo Mohapi happy.
LDF have never finished outside the top
eight in club history. Sohle-Sohle have
flirted with throwing away that proud record thanks to a disappointing
season. However, Monday’s 4-0 thumping
of Butha-Buthe Warriors sees LDF eighth in the league again. Importantly for
the Ratjomose side, the teams below them – Sundawana and Liphakoe – appear to
be limping to the finish line.
It was a bad Easter for…
Lioli
The schedule finally caught up with
Lioli and it remains to be fully explained why the champions were forced to
play a pivotal game against
LCS on Sunday after having played just 48 hours earlier while Bantu played on
Monday. Tse Nala simply didn’t have any
legs left and couldn’t muster enough energy to get past a dogged LCS side. In
the end Lioli and Masheshena played
to an uninspired goalless draw at Setsoto.
 |
| It wasn't a good weekend for Bushy Moletsane (right) and Lioli |
It is a very costly slip. Halemakale
Mahlaha’s side will now have to pray for favours from other teams to steal
points from Bantu. It is a potentially crushing way to lose hold of the title
for Lioli, especially after last week’s high of winning the LNIG Top 8.
Likhopo
As mentioned earlier, Likhopo are one of
the members of the exclusive top four club.
However, the Red Army, who won the
title in 2005 and 2006, haven’t been the same force of late.
However, even though Likhopo haven’t reached
the heights of challenging for the league title for several years now, this
season has been an absolute disaster. For example, Likhopo finished in sixth
place last season.
This year they are in the relegation
zone with three games to go.
This was a bad Easter weekend because
Likhopo could have climbed out of the relegation zone. But, Rovers pulled a
miracle fight-back from 2-0 down against Sundawana to draw 2-2 on Monday while Likhopo
threw away a lead against Linare to draw 1-1 later in the day.
It was another disappointing draw for
the Red Army. Likhopo have only lost
once in their last seven league games but they have only won one of them. They
need wins to avoid the first relegation in the club’s 18-year history.
Likhopo’s
last eight games:
12/02/17
|
Likhopo
4-0 Butha-Buthe Warriors
|
W
|
05/03/17
|
Sky
Battalion 1-1 Likhopo
|
D
|
11/03/17
|
Matlama
1-1 Likhopo
|
D
|
19/03/17
|
Likhopo
0-0 LDF
|
D
|
02/04/17
|
Rovers
2-1 Likhopo
|
L
|
14/04/17
|
Likhopo
0-0 Sundawana
|
D
|
17/04/17
|
Linare
1-1 Likhopo
|
D
|
 |
| Two struggling teams... Sundawana and Likhopo |
Sundawana
That miracle Rovers pulled means
Sundawana still haven’t won in the league under new coach Antonio Flores.
Sundawana have played attractive
football for the most part under the Spaniard but they haven’t been able to
take advantage or, as on Monday against Rovers, shut the backdoor.
The Butha-Buthe side were leading 2-0 against
Rovers and appeared to be heading for their first win since Flores took over in
February. However, the visitors struck in the 87th and 89th minutes to break
Sundawana hearts.
Sundawana’s
league results since February
Date
|
Result
|
Coach
|
|
12/02/17
|
Linare
1-2 Sundawana
|
W
|
Ntene
|
04/03/17
|
Sundawana
2-4 Matlama
|
L
|
Flores
|
12/03/17
|
Liphakoe
1-0 Sundawana
|
L
|
Flores
|
19/03/17
|
Sundawana
0-1Lioli
|
L
|
Flores
|
01/04/17
|
LMPS
0-0 Sundawana
|
D
|
Flores
|
14/04/17
|
Likhopo
0-0 Sundawana
|
D
|
Flores
|
17/04/17
|
Sundawana
2-2 Rovers
|
D
|
Flores
|
The signs are positive in terms of
Sundawana’s play but they have slipped from being on the verge of possibly
sealing a second successive top four finish in February to ninth place. Now Tse Bo Yellow could miss out on a top
eight spot altogether.
Butha-Buthe
Warriors
 |
| Sad times... Butha-Buthe Warriors are headed to the first division |
Every weekend this season has pretty
much been a bad one for bottom side Butha-Buthe Warriors. But, they had showed
some kicks of a dying horse last month when they beat Rovers 3-1 (on March 11)
for their first win of the season and followed it up with a 2-2 draw with
Liphakoe the following week.
However, Warriors have regressed to
their mean losing their last two games (against Lioli and LDF) by a combined
score-line of 9-1.
Worse, Rovers’ point against Sundawana
means Warriors are all but relegated. With three games left Warriors have six
points, Rovers have 15. The Butha-Buthe side can only reach 15 points but their
-62 goal difference is much worse than Rovers’ -27.
The only thing keeping Butha-Buthe
Warriors in the Vodacom Premier League now is maths. It’s time to start packing
their bags for the A-Division.
Easter Weekend
Results:
Friday
Kick4Life
1-1 Liphakoe
Likhopo
0-0 Sundawana
Lioli
5-1 Rovers
Butha-Buthe
Warriors 4-0 LDF
Sunday
Lioli
0-0 LCS
Monday
Sundawana
2-2 Rovers
Bantu
2-0 Liphakoe
LMPS
0-1 Kick4Life
Matlama
0-1 Sky Battalion
Linare
1-1 Likhopo
Vodacom Premier League Standings
P
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
GF
|
GA
|
GD
|
Pts.
|
||
1
|
Bantu
|
23
|
16
|
5
|
2
|
41
|
11
|
+30
|
53
|
2
|
Lioli
|
23
|
16
|
3
|
4
|
44
|
11
|
+33
|
51
|
3
|
Kick4Life
|
23
|
13
|
5
|
5
|
42
|
24
|
+18
|
44
|
4
|
Sky Battalion
|
23
|
11
|
5
|
7
|
31
|
22
|
+9
|
38
|
5
|
LCS
|
23
|
10
|
8
|
5
|
28
|
20
|
+8
|
38
|
6
|
LMPS
|
23
|
7
|
11
|
5
|
21
|
18
|
+3
|
32
|
7
|
Matlama
|
23
|
8
|
10
|
5
|
35
|
22
|
+13
|
31
|
8
|
LDF
|
23
|
8
|
8
|
7
|
26
|
21
|
+5
|
29
|
9
|
Sundawana
|
23
|
6
|
10
|
7
|
20
|
23
|
-3
|
28
|
10
|
Linare
|
23
|
6
|
7
|
10
|
33
|
35
|
-2
|
25
|
11
|
Liphakoe
|
23
|
6
|
7
|
10
|
20
|
29
|
-9
|
25
|
12
|
Rovers
|
23
|
3
|
6
|
14
|
20
|
47
|
-27
|
15
|
13
|
Likhopo
|
23
|
2
|
8
|
13
|
17
|
33
|
-16
|
14
|
14
|
Butha-Buthe
Warriors
|
23
|
1
|
3
|
19
|
16
|
78
|
-62
|
6
|
·
Matlama docked 3 points
·
LDF docked 3 points and 3 goals
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