 |
|
Sandawana, the Vodacom Premier League’s
surprise package
|
Sandawana
are the story of the season
Sandawana are the story of the season so
far. The upstart Butha-Buthe side has now won seven games in a row and is the
league’s hottest team.
Their form has catapulted them into
second place in the Vodacom Premier League, only behind leaders Lioli on goal
difference. Credit has to go to club owner, and famed traditional healer, Thato
“Sandawana” Nkone.
He was ambitious when he bought Mpharane
Celtic’s premier league status last year to form Sandawana Football Club. Nkone
declared his ambition to turn Sandawana into a force and he has invested heavily
into the club; no team has been busier in the transfer market over the past
year than Sandawana.
After hitting and missing in the coaching
department, Nkonealso seems to have found the perfect candidate the lead the
revolution in ex-Likila United coach Bob Mafoso. Mafoso led Likila to anexcellent
sixth-place finish last season and he has won every game since he took charge of
Sandawana in mid-September.
The Butha-Buthe side also possesses the
league’s hottest striker at present in Roaboama Koloti. Koloti scored the
winner in Sunday’s 1-0 win over Mphatlalatsane, his second successive clincher after
he downed Bantu last week. Koloti is now the league’s joint top-scorer with
eight goals and, as everyone knows, every good team needs a reliable scorer.
With Sandawana rolling, a title
challenge is not out of the question. As of yet none of the bigger boys – Lioli,
Matlama, Bantu and LCS – have shown any real consistency and if Sandawana keep winning,
it is very plausible they can open a gap at the top.
And, even though Sandawana have played
two games more than their immediate rivals, this season feels like one where
points in the bag will be of utmost importance because the playing field appears
so level.
Leslie
Notši gets his first win of the season
Leslie Notši’s signing for Kick4Life
last week was a big coup for the ambitious club. The former Lesotho coach is the
country’s most high-profile trainer and his credentials are far and away the
most impressive in the land.
During his tenure as Likuena coach he transformed
Lesotho into a competitive side that reached the semi-finals of the COSAFA Cup in
2013 and finished third in a 2014 World Cup qualifying group that included
Ghana, Sudan and then African champions Zambia.
As Under-20 coach before that Notši led
Lesotho to the African Under-20 Championship in 2011. His Likuena teams were
never the most spectacular but they were always compact and organised.
This is the first noticeable aspect of
Kick4Life in Notši’s first two games and on Sunday they fought out a dogged 1-0
win over Bantu in Mafeteng. In two games under Notši, Kick4Life have collected
four points and haven’t conceded a goal. At this rate the club’s stated goal when it hired Notši of finishing in the top eight is possible.
 |
| Two steps back for Litšepe Marabe (right) and Bantu |
Two
steps back for Bantu
Bantu looked to be on the up and up after
three consecutive league wins and last month’s triumph of the Independence Cup.
It looked like A Matšo Matebele were primed to return
to league contention when 2014 title-winning coach Motlatsi Shale returned two
weeks ago. But, back-to back losses at home in consecutive weeks – Bantu’s
first league defeats at the Leshoboro Seesio Stadium since it was opened in
February – have them reeling.
A Matšo
Matebele
are seventh, a full seven points behind leaders Lioli. On Saturday they play
Matlama and anything but a win would probably rule Bantu out of the title race,
even at this early stage. The loss to Kick4Life is a disappointing setback for
the Mafeteng giants.
Elsewhere, the league’s
most inconsistent team Linare got back to winning ways with a 3-1 win over
Likila United in Maputsoe on Saturday while LCS had a disappointing 1-1 draw with
relegation threatened Liphakoe.
In the title picture each week the
pretenders are apparently being sifted out. Increasingly the championship race
looks like it will be between Lioli, Sandawana and Matlama. The rest are starting
to appear too far behind. The one team that gets the benefit of the doubt is
Bantu because of the quality of their squad and recent trophy-winning
credentials. But they have to win against Matlama this weekend.
Weekend
Results
Saturday
Liphakoe 0-0 LCS
LMPS 0-2 LDF
Lioli 1-0 Matlama
Linare 3-1 Likila United
Sunday
Likhopo 1-1 Rovers
Sandawana 1-0 Mphatlalatsane
Bantu 0-1 Kick4Life
Vodacom
Premier League Table
P
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
GF
|
GA
|
GD
|
Pts
|
||
1
|
Lioli
|
11
|
7
|
3
|
1
|
15
|
5
|
10
|
24
|
2
|
Sandawana
|
13
|
7
|
3
|
3
|
15
|
12
|
3
|
24
|
3
|
Matlama
|
11
|
7
|
2
|
2
|
17
|
10
|
7
|
23
|
4
|
Likhopo
|
11
|
5
|
4
|
2
|
17
|
8
|
9
|
19
|
5
|
LCS
|
11
|
5
|
4
|
2
|
9
|
5
|
4
|
19
|
6
|
LDF
|
12
|
4
|
5
|
3
|
10
|
8
|
2
|
17
|
7
|
Bantu
|
11
|
5
|
2
|
4
|
9
|
7
|
2
|
17
|
8
|
Kick4Life
|
13
|
3
|
7
|
3
|
8
|
11
|
-3
|
16
|
9
|
Rovers
|
12
|
4
|
3
|
5
|
9
|
12
|
-3
|
15
|
10
|
Linare
|
13
|
4
|
2
|
7
|
16
|
18
|
-2
|
14
|
11
|
Likila United
|
14
|
3
|
4
|
7
|
11
|
17
|
-6
|
12
|
12
|
LMPS
|
13
|
1
|
6
|
6
|
9
|
15
|
-6
|
9
|
13
|
Liphakoe
|
12
|
1
|
6
|
5
|
5
|
11
|
-6
|
9
|
14
|
Mphatlalatsane
|
12
|
1
|
4
|
7
|
7
|
17
|
-10
|
7
|
Correct
as of December 6, 2015
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