It was another enthralling weekend of Vodacom Premier
League action with drama in the battles for the title, top four, top eight and
survival.
Here are the
talking points from the weekend’s round of games:
 |
| Hlompho Kalake (right) has had a brilliant season for Bantu... |
Kalake inspires
Bantu, again
When the season winds down it is not only
time for titles to be decided but also time to pick the best players of the campaign.
One player that will be in the conversation is Hlompho Kalake who has been the
heartbeat of Bantu’s title charge. The playmaker was at his inspirational best
once again on Sunday as his brace helped A
Matšo Matebele overcome a good Sky Battalion side 3-1 at Setsoto Stadium.
The win means Bantu remain in control of
the Vodacom Premier League after the weekend’s action. The Mafeteng giants are
two points clear of champions Lioli who had briefly gone to the top of the
standings on
Saturday after beating rivals Matlama 2-0.
Bantu now just need to win their final
two games and they will be crowned champions. Key to their hopes will be Kalake
who now leads all midfielders in goalscoring. He has consistently been Bantu’s
driving force and, importantly, has come up big in the big moments as he did last
month when James Madidilane’s side beat Lioli 2-1, a result that may ultimately
decide the championship.
Also significant for A Matšo Matebele is the form of striker Lazola
Tjokotjokwana who also found the back of the net against Sky Battalion to get
his second goal in as many games.
It had been one of Bantu’s concerns that
although goals have come from different sources – such as Kalake or Litšepe
Marabe or Tsebang Lebata – they didn’t always have an on-fire striker to finish
chances which is always crucial at this time of the year.
Stat: The
average number of points it takes to win the Vodacom Premier League since it
became 14 teams in 2013/14 season is 60 points.
-
Bantu 59 points in 2013/14
-
Lioli 63 points in 2014/15
-
Lioli 59 points in 2015/16
|
The title race will go down to the last
minute with Bantu left to face Sundawana and Kick4Life in their final two games
while Lioli end their season against Likhopo and Sky Battalion. It is
reassuring for A Matšo Matebele that
their best players are shining at the right time.
 |
Thabo Masualle (right) and his Kick4Life teammates
are in the top four after Sky Battalion's loss... |
Kick4Life
seal top four finish
Sky Battalion’s loss to Bantu also had
an impact on Kick4Life. Thanks to the defeat fifth-placed SK can only reach 44 points if they win their last two games. It
means, thanks to their goalless draw with Rovers on Saturday, Kick4Life, with
45 points, can’t finish lower than fourth.
Welcome to the Top Four Club, Kick4Life.
Most top four finishes since 2005/06
Team
|
Top
4s
|
Years
|
LCS
|
8
|
2007,
2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016
|
LDF
|
8
|
2006,
2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
|
Lioli
|
7
|
2006,
2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
|
Matlama
|
7
|
2007,
2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016
|
Bantu
|
5
|
2011,
2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
|
Linare
|
4
|
2006,
2008, 2011, 2014
|
LMPS
|
3
|
2007,
2009, 2010
|
Sundawana
|
1
|
2016
|
Leslie Notši’s side join LCS, LDF, Lioli,
Matlama, Bantu, Linare, LMPS and Sundawana as the only sides to make the top four
since 2006. It is a wonderful achievement for an ambitious project that is
probably ahead of schedule.
Kick4Life are only three years in the Vodacom
Premier League but they will start next season as one of the favourites for the
title.
 |
| It's been a season of woe for Butha-Buthe Warriors... |
Butha-Buthe
Warriors relegated from Vodacom Premiership
The inevitable finally happened on
Sunday as Butha-Buthe Warriors were relegated from the Vodacom Premier League
after a 4-1 loss to Sundawana in the Butha-Buthe derby.
It feels as though Warriors have been
relegated pretty much all season. They have been dreadful, in fact,
historically so. Warriors are on course to achieve the lowest league points
total in the past decade.
Lowest Premier League points
totals since 2005/06
Season
|
Team
|
Games
|
Points
|
Average
points per game
|
2006/07
|
Butha-Buthe Warriors
|
30
|
11
|
0.37
|
2008/09
|
Sekamaneng Young
Stars
|
30
|
8
|
0.27
|
2009/10
|
Butha-Buthe Roses
|
30
|
10
|
0.30
|
2010/11
|
Mabeoana
|
26
|
9
|
0.35
|
2013/14
|
Melele
|
26
|
12
|
0.46
|
2013/14
|
Joy
|
26
|
10
|
0.38
|
2014/15
|
Qoaling Highlanders
|
26
|
9
|
0.35
|
2016/17
|
Butha-Buthe Warriors
|
24
|
6
|
0.25
|
*
Until 2009/10 there were 16 teams in the Premier League. Now there are 14
Quite disturbingly, Butha-Buthe Warriors
appear twice on the list above.
If they do ever return to the top-flight
they have to sort out the lack of organisation and direction that remained noticeable
even after Sidwell Mothea took over as coach from Motlatsi Thibinyane in
December.
In total, Warriors have lost 20 of their
24 league games this season and only have one win.
Sunday’s victory, by the way, was
Sundawana’s first since hiring Spanish coach Antonio Flores in late February
and it has revived Tse Bo Yellow’s
top eight ambitions.
 |
Matlama's Phafa Tšosane and Jane Thaba-Ntšo are in danger of missing out
on the top eight...
|
Top eight race
will go down to the wire
That top eight race will go down to
wire.
Only two points separate LMPS in sixth
place and Sundawana in ninth. Even Linare, in tenth, still have an outside
chance of cracking the top eight.
With the race so tight, the last two
weeks of the season will be especially nervous for two giants – it is
conceivable that either Matlama (eighth) or LDF (seventh) could finish outside
of the top eight for the first time in their illustrious histories.
Matlama have won the most league titles
with ten championships to their name, followed by LDF with eight. These are the
most successful clubs in Lesotho. But, as things stand, LDF are seventh and
Matlama are eighth.
LDF helped their cause with a solid 1-0
win over Liphakoe on Saturday in Quthing, their second league victory in a row.
However, Matlama didn’t do themselves any favours as they put in another
lethargic display to lose 2-0 to Lioli. Tse
Putsoa are now winless in five games and have only picked up four points
from the last available 24.
Ninth-placed Sundawana, who are level on
points with Matlama and a point behind LDF, are watching closely and so too are
Linare.
As fate would have it, Matlama and LDF will
meet on the final day of the season. It could be a match to decide who gets into
the top eight and who doesn’t. It could also write a new sad chapter in the proud
histories of either Tse Putsoa or Sohle-Sohle.
Remaining
games for top eight contenders:
LMPS
|
Sky Battalion (away),
Butha-Buthe Warriors (home)
|
LDF
|
Kick4Life (home), Matlama
(home)
|
Matlama
|
Rovers (away), LDF (away)
|
Sundawana
|
Bantu (home), LCS (away)
|
Linare
|
Liphakoe (home), Rovers (away)
|
Weekend Results:
Saturday
Matlama
0-2 Lioli
Liphakoe
0-1 LDF
Kick4Life
0-0 Rovers
Sunday
Sundawana 4-1 Butha-Buthe
Warriors
Bantu 3-1 Sky Battalion
LCS 4-1 Likhopo
LMPS 0-0 Linare
Vodacom Premier League Standings
|
|
P
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
GF
|
GA
|
GD
|
Pts.
|
1
|
Bantu
|
24
|
17
|
5
|
2
|
44
|
12
|
+32
|
56
|
2
|
Lioli
|
24
|
17
|
3
|
4
|
46
|
11
|
+35
|
54
|
3
|
Kick4Life
|
24
|
13
|
6
|
5
|
42
|
24
|
+18
|
45
|
4
|
LCS
|
24
|
11
|
8
|
5
|
32
|
21
|
+11
|
41
|
5
|
Sky Battalion
|
24
|
11
|
5
|
8
|
32
|
25
|
+7
|
38
|
6
|
LMPS
|
24
|
7
|
12
|
5
|
21
|
18
|
+3
|
33
|
7
|
LDF
|
24
|
9
|
8
|
7
|
27
|
21
|
+6
|
32
|
8
|
Matlama
|
24
|
8
|
10
|
6
|
35
|
24
|
+11
|
31
|
9
|
Sundawana
|
24
|
7
|
10
|
7
|
24
|
24
|
0
|
31
|
10
|
Linare
|
24
|
6
|
8
|
10
|
33
|
35
|
-2
|
26
|
11
|
Liphakoe
|
24
|
6
|
7
|
11
|
20
|
30
|
-10
|
25
|
12
|
Rovers
|
24
|
3
|
7
|
14
|
20
|
47
|
-27
|
16
|
13
|
Likhopo
|
24
|
2
|
8
|
14
|
18
|
37
|
-19
|
14
|
R
|
Butha-Buthe Warriors
|
24
|
1
|
3
|
20
|
17
|
82
|
-65
|
6
|
·
Matlama docked 3 points
·
LDF docked 3 points and 3 goals
