There
are only five more match-days to go in the Vodacom Premier League season. It’s squeaky
bum time and this past weekend made things squeakier...
It was a good weekend for…
It was a good weekend for…
 |
| It was a good weekend for Bantu and Matlama... |
Matlama
Matlama have been around the top of the Vodacom
Premier League for the whole season but this column has always expected them to
fade from contention mainly because Matlama have become the Sesotho dictionary word
for inconsistency.
And, they did falter.
After leading the league by four points
in mid-November, Matlama’s form dipped to end 2015. In a run of four matches, Tse Putsoa lost twice, including 2-0 to
Mphatlalatsane, and dropped eight points from a possible 12.
By the start of last month Matlama were
third, five points behind leaders Lioli.
Matlama’s season
so far
02.04.2016
|
Mphatlalatsane
|
0-1
|
Matlama
|
W
|
13.03.2016
|
Matlama
|
3-0
|
Likila
United
|
W
|
11.03.2016
|
Matlama
|
3-1
|
Linare
|
W
|
05.03.2016
|
Matlama
|
3-2
|
LDF
|
W
|
27.02.2016
|
Likhopo
|
1-1
|
Matlama
|
D
|
13.02.2016
|
LMPS
|
2-2
|
Matlama
|
D
|
06.02.2016
|
Rovers
|
1-3
|
Matlama
|
W
|
17.01.2016
|
Sandawana
FC
|
0-1
|
Matlama
|
W
|
19.12.2015
|
Matlama
|
0-2
|
Mphatlalatsane
|
L
|
12.12.2015
|
Bantu
United
|
0-1
|
Matlama
|
W
|
05.12.2015
|
Lioli
|
1-0
|
Matlama
|
L
|
28.11.2015
|
Matlama
|
0-0
|
LCS
|
D
|
22.11.2015
|
Liphakoe
FC
|
1-2
|
Matlama
|
W
|
14.11.2015
|
Matlama
|
2-1
|
Likhopo
|
W
|
01.11.2015
|
Likila
United
|
1-2
|
Matlama
|
W
|
02.10.2015
|
LDF
|
0-2
|
Matlama
|
W
|
26.09.2015
|
Matlama
|
3-2
|
LMPS
|
W
|
19.09.2015
|
Linare
|
3-1
|
Matlama
|
L
|
13.09.2015
|
Matlama
|
3-1
|
Sandawana
FC
|
W
|
30.08.2015
|
Kick4Life
|
0-2
|
Matlama
|
W
|
23.08.2015
|
Matlama
|
0-0
|
Rovers
|
D
|
At that point the scepticism of Matlama
appeared justified. Tse Putsoa had
started a season well but couldn’t keep it up as has been the case, more or
less, in every campaign since they last won the league in 2010.
But, the story was not over.
Thanks to Lioli’s blown two goal lead
against Likhopo yesterday, Tse Putsoa
are now joint top of the league with five matches to go.
They have won four matches in a row and
the destiny of the title is in their own hands. It is quite a turn of events
and confidence has to be flowing at Pitso Ground.
Much like LCS, Matlama are probably ahead
of schedule. This is Moses Maliehe’s first season in charge and the club
possibly would have settled for a steady build on the consecutive fourth places
of the past two years after Matlama had finished as low as eighth in 2013.
However, Tse Putsoa have capitalised on the slips of the country’s two
strongest squads, Lioli and Bantu, and they now find themselves in with a
chance of claiming a record extending 10th league title.
The only negative for Matlama is they
are not in action this weekend because of the LNIG Top 8, so they can’t immediately
build on their momentum. But, Tse Putsoa
can rest easy, the pressure is on Lioli.
Bantu
At least Bantu’s season has drama
because it has been a let-down in every other sense.
November’s Independence Cup win aside,
this has been a disappointing season in which A Matšo Matebele have fallen well below their potential. Stat: Bantu
have not been in the league’s top four all season.
Nevertheless,
thanks to their 2-0 win over LCS on Saturday, Bantu still have a chance of salvaging
a good, maybe even great, season.
The
Mafeteng giants are in the semi-finals of the LNIG Top 8 and after Saturday’s
win, they have pulled themselves to within two points of fourth-placed
Sandawana.
Top Four Race
Remaining
matches
Bantu
Matlama
v Bantu (Pitso Ground)
Bantu
v Linare (Mafeteng)
Kick4Life
v Bantu (Setsoto Stadium)
Sandawana
v Bantu (Butha-Buthe)
LDF
v Bantu (Ratjomose)
Sandawana
LDF
v Sandawana (Ratjomose)
Sandawana
v Likhopo (Butha-Buthe)
Mphatlalatsane
v Sandawana (Maputsoe DiFA Stadium)
Sandawana
v Bantu (Butha-Buthe)
LCS
v Sandawana (LCS)
|
And, Bantu played well against LCS. They
showed why they were pre-season favourites for the title and why they won the
league in 2014. Litšepe Marabe was clinical, scoring the opening goal, and
fellow Likuena internationals Thapelo Mokhehle, Hlompho Kalake, Tlali Maile and
Sepiriti Malefane showed their quality, too.
This is a good team. Bantu should be making
the top four and they still have to play Sandawana.
But, this has been a season of drama in
Mafeteng, nothing is certain.
Rovers
Rovers beat Likila United 1-0 yesterday
in Roma.
It was their first win since October 11
when they beat bottom side Mphatlalatsane 2-1. It ended a painful run of 13 matches
that included 10 losses, a run that dropped Rovers from third in September to
the relegation zone.
And guess who Rovers play next?
Mphatlalatsane.
Linare’s
remaining games
Rovers v Mphatlalatsane (Roma)
Rovers v LCS (Roma)
Rovers v Likhopo (Roma)
Lioli v Rovers (Setsoto Stadium)
Liphakoe v Rovers (Quthing)
|
This could turn out to be a season-saving
few weeks for Rovers. After their win over Likila, they are up to 10th, two
points clear of the drop. Their remaining schedule is tricky. But, what Rovers
do have going for them is their home support in Roma, an advantage they have over
the sides below them. Three of their final five games are at home.
By calculation, 24 points should be
enough for survival this season. Rovers, on 20 points, will surely be counting
on their fans.
It
was a bad weekend for…
 |
| It was a bad weekend for Linare... |
LCS
Mathematically LCS are still in the
title race but realistically they are not. Saturday’s defeat to Bantu leaves Masheshena five points behind the
leading duo of Lioli and Matlama, with five games to go.
Mpitsa Marai has done a fabulous job in
his first season in charge. But, the last two games – losses to Lioli and Bantu
– have shown LCS still need an injection of star quality in order to return to
serious title contention.
League winners since 2000
2000 LCS
2001 LDF
2002 LCS
2003 Matlama
2004 LDF
2005 Likhopo
2006 Likhopo
2007 LCS
2008 LCS
2009 Lioli
2010 Matlama
2011 LCS
2012 LCS
2013 Lioli
2014 Bantu
2015 Lioli
Linare
Thank goodness for their two-goal fight-back
in Quthing against Liphakoe or this could have been a terrible weekend for the Leribe side. The 2-2 draw gave Tse Tala a point, but they need more
than that at this stage.
Thanks to Rovers’ win, Linare are in the
relegation zone. They haven’t won since December and they are running out of
time to stave off a first relegation in club history.
Linare’s
remaining games
LMPS v Linare (PTC)
Bantu v Linare (Mafeteng)
Likila United v Linare (Butha-Buthe)
Linare v Mphatlalatsane (Maputsoe DiFA
Stadium)
Lioli v Linare (Setsoto Stadium)
|
Lioli
Lioli will be kicking themselves today
because they had a two-goal lead against Likhopo yesterday and they let it slip.
That is how championships are lost, or
at least, that is how you give your rivals hope.
Thanks to Nkoto Masoabi’s 15 minute
brace, Lioli were on their way to a comfortable win and a two-point lead over
Matlama. Of course, a two-point cushion wouldn’t have meant Tse Nala have won the league, but now
they have given Matlama confidence and that is the most dangerous thing that
may have come out of the weekend for Lioli.
Title
race run-in
Lioli
Lioli
v Liphakoe (Setsoto Stadium)
Kick4Life v Lioli (Setsoto
Stadium)
Matlama v Lioli
(Pitso Ground)
Lioli
v Rovers (Setsoto Stadium)
Lioli
v Linare (Setsoto Stadium)
Matlama
Matlama
v Bantu (Pitso Ground)
Matlama
v Liphakoe (Pitso Ground)
Matlama
v Lioli (Pitso Ground)
Matlama
v Kick4Life (Maseru)
LCS v Matlama
(LCS)
|
As a squad, Matlama are inferior to
Lioli. In fact, there is no competition. The last Lesotho squad had eight Lioli
players, Matlama three, for example.
Lioli are the champions and they are still
top. They still hold all the cards because they face Matlama in a probable title
decider on April 30.
But, by letting Tse Putsoa hang around, Lioli have fed a monster that may come back
to bite them.
This
Weekend’s Results
Saturday
Bantu 2-0 LCS
Mphatlalatsane 0-1 Matlama
Sandawana 1-1 LMPS
Liphakoe 2-2 Linare
Sunday
Rovers 1-0 Likila United
Likhopo 2-2 Lioli
Kick4Life 0-0 LDF
Vodacom
Premier League Table
P
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
GF
|
GA
|
GD
|
Pts.
|
||
1
|
Lioli
|
21
|
13
|
7
|
1
|
33
|
10
|
23
|
46
|
2
|
Matlama
|
21
|
14
|
4
|
3
|
35
|
19
|
16
|
46
|
3
|
LCS
|
21
|
12
|
5
|
4
|
22
|
10
|
12
|
41
|
4
|
Sandawana
|
21
|
10
|
4
|
7
|
21
|
20
|
1
|
34
|
5
|
Bantu
|
21
|
9
|
5
|
7
|
20
|
11
|
9
|
32
|
6
|
Likhopo
|
21
|
7
|
8
|
6
|
24
|
18
|
6
|
29
|
7
|
Kick4Life
|
21
|
6
|
10
|
5
|
16
|
17
|
-1
|
28
|
8
|
LDF
|
21
|
6
|
9
|
6
|
20
|
18
|
2
|
27
|
9
|
Liphakoe
|
21
|
4
|
10
|
7
|
16
|
21
|
-5
|
22
|
10
|
Rovers
|
21
|
5
|
5
|
11
|
14
|
25
|
-11
|
20
|
11
|
Likila United
|
21
|
5
|
5
|
11
|
15
|
27
|
-12
|
20
|
12
|
LMPS
|
21
|
3
|
10
|
8
|
18
|
26
|
-8
|
19
|
13
|
Linare
|
21
|
4
|
6
|
11
|
21
|
28
|
-7
|
18
|
14
|
Mphatlalatsane
|
21
|
2
|
6
|
13
|
16
|
41
|
-25
|
12
|
No comments:
Post a Comment