Welcome to the Econet Premier League, Galaxy... |
Galaxy will be playing in the Econet
Premier League next season after clinching promotion to Lesotho’s top-flight with
a 2-1 win over closest rivals Litšilo on Saturday.
The hard-fought away victory in Pitseng
gives Galaxy an unassailable five-point lead over second-placed Litšilo with
just one round of action to go in the first division’s North Stream.
Only the winner of the stream is
guaranteed a ticket to the country’s elite league.
Galaxy’s win caps a winding road of ups
and downs since the ambitious club was formed in 2013.
Although the Leribe side were crowned A-Division
Top 8 champions in 2016 when they memorably beat Van Rooyen United 3-1 in the
final, the past two seasons have ended in heartbreak in their quest to reach
the promised land of the Premier League.
Last season Galaxy finished second to
Sefotha-fotha. The year before they finished third, just two points behind then-champions
Butha-Buthe Warriors.
It has been a long wait and Galaxy’s
celebrations lasted long into the night on Saturday after finally seeing off the
spirited challenge of Litšilo.
At the other end of the North Stream table
Mphatlalatsane, who were relegated from the top-flight in 2016, gave themselves
some hope of surviving relegation with a 1-0 win away at Ketane. The win was
only Linaleli’s third of the season
but, with a three-point gap to ninth-placed Likila United, the St Monica’s side
still have a mathematical chance of avoiding the drop.
Only the bottom teams in the North and
South streams will go down to the B-Division.
That would be uncharted territory for a
Mphatlalatsane side which enjoyed a four-year run between 2007 and 2010 as a
top 10 team in the Premier League and hasn’t been outside Lesotho’s top two
divisions since 2002.
In the South Stream, Swallows will have
to wait a little longer to seal promotion to the top-flight after they were held
to a 1-1 draw away to Quthing LMPS. Thanks to the draw, the Mazenod side have a
four-point lead over Lithabaneng Golden with two games to go. One more win and
Swallows will join Galaxy on the bus to the Econet Premier League.
A-Division Results:
Saturday
Saturday
North
Stream
Ketane
0-1 Mphatlalatsane
Butha-Buthe Warriors 1-0 Lerotholi Polytechnic
Litšilo 1-2 Galaxy
Likila United v Limkokwing University (match not played)
Butha-Buthe Warriors 1-0 Lerotholi Polytechnic
Litšilo 1-2 Galaxy
Likila United v Limkokwing University (match not played)
South Stream
Lijabatho
2-1 Roma Boys
Quthing LMPS 1-1 Swallows
Quthing LMPS 1-1 Swallows
Standings:
North Stream
|
|
P
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
GF
|
GA
|
GD
|
Pts.
|
C
|
Galaxy
|
17
|
11
|
3
|
3
|
26
|
13
|
13
|
36
|
2
|
Litšilo
|
17
|
9
|
4
|
4
|
23
|
15
|
8
|
31
|
3
|
Ketane
|
17
|
8
|
5
|
4
|
32
|
18
|
14
|
29
|
4
|
Lifofane
|
16
|
6
|
5
|
5
|
16
|
18
|
-2
|
23
|
5
|
Butha-Buthe
Warriors
|
17
|
5
|
6
|
6
|
11
|
17
|
-6
|
21
|
6
|
Limkokwing
University
|
16
|
5
|
5
|
6
|
18
|
19
|
-1
|
20
|
7
|
CCX
|
16
|
5
|
3
|
8
|
23
|
26
|
-3
|
18
|
8
|
Lerotholi
Polytechnic
|
17
|
4
|
5
|
8
|
18
|
17
|
1
|
17
|
9
|
Likila
United
|
16
|
4
|
5
|
7
|
10
|
22
|
-12
|
17
|
10
|
Mphatlalatsane
|
17
|
3
|
5
|
10
|
15
|
24
|
-9
|
14
|
South Stream
|
|
P
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
GF
|
GA
|
GD
|
Pts.
|
1
|
Swallows
|
16
|
10
|
5
|
1
|
26
|
7
|
19
|
35
|
2
|
Lithabaneng
Golden
|
16
|
9
|
4
|
3
|
22
|
13
|
9
|
31
|
3
|
Manonyane
|
17
|
8
|
5
|
4
|
17
|
9
|
8
|
29
|
4
|
Lijabatho
|
16
|
7
|
6
|
3
|
23
|
17
|
6
|
27
|
5
|
Machokha
|
16
|
6
|
4
|
6
|
28
|
19
|
9
|
22
|
6
|
Quthing
LMPS
|
16
|
7
|
1
|
8
|
20
|
18
|
2
|
22
|
7
|
Mangau
|
15
|
5
|
5
|
5
|
19
|
19
|
0
|
20
|
8
|
Roma
Boys
|
17
|
4
|
3
|
10
|
22
|
34
|
-12
|
15
|
9
|
Qoaling
Highlanders
|
17
|
3
|
3
|
11
|
16
|
40
|
-24
|
12
|
10
|
Rovers
|
16
|
3
|
2
|
11
|
16
|
34
|
-18
|
5
|
·
Rovers docked 6
points for late registration
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