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Thrills and spills abound as PSL wraps up

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AmaZulu have been relegated to the first division.
AmaZulu have been relegated to the first division.

Ecstasy, agony and huge sighs of relief were the order of the day as the curtain came down on the 2014/15 Absa Premiership season yesterday.

While Kaizer Chiefs, who had already clinched the title that goes with a R10 million cheque two weeks ago, played as brilliantly as ever, drama ruled at the bottom of the log, where the tradition-steeped AmaZulu (founded in 1932) and Moroka Swallows (1947) were fighting for their lives in the elite league.

AmaZulu went down 2-1 to neighbours Maritzburg United at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

By beating Chippa, Amakhosi added another R1.5 million to their kitty as they won the Q4 Innovation – ahead of Free State Stars. They won the first quarter as well.

All in all, this was a season worth a whopping R21 million for Chiefs, as they also pocketed R8 million for winning the MTN8 Cup.

For AmaZulu, a bleak future awaits, as they now have to go to the lowly National First Division (NFD), losing the status that goes with a R1.5 million monthly Premiership grant.

They will now have to survive on the about R300 000-a-month NFD grant and, for finishing at the bottom, they only earn R400 000 from the Absa Premiership’s prize pool.

Swallows’ 1-0 victory over Bloemfontein Celtic, thanks to a solitary Siyabonga Nomvethe strike, lets them live to fight another day. They will now be involved in a three-team play-off for the final Premier Soccer League slot (see page 18).

Steve Barker, who joined Usuthu in January, must be heartbroken after his efforts came to naught. He brought some stability to the Durban side that had been at the bottom of the log for most of the season. But it was a Herculean task from the onset and, had he saved them, he would have pulled off an act worthy of Houdini.

Before his arrival, the club’s win average was 0, with a 0.64 average of goals scored per game. The club conceded an average of 1.64 goals per game, while collecting 0.36 points, on average, per game. Barker managed to improve those appalling figures to a win percentage of 33.33, 1.28 goals scored per game, 1.33 goals conceded per game and 1.28 points per game.

Swallows’ dismal season must act as a wake-up call for the club’s bosses.

It was only three seasons ago when they came within a whisker of winning the league under the astute tutelage of Gordon Igesund, only to lose it all to Orlando Pirates on the last day of the season.

But things have gone south since then for the club that last won the league title 47 years ago under the auspices of the SA Soccer League.

Mamelodi Sundowns finished second, followed by Bidvest Wits. Orlando Pirates are fourth in the final standings with 50 points after coming back from two goals down to secure a 2-all draw against Ajax Cape Town in the Mother City.

All the other results:

Mamelodi Sundowns 1-0 University of Pretoria; Ajax Cape Town 2-2 Orlando Pirates; Free State Stars 2-2 Black Aces; Bidvest Wits 1-0 Platinum Stars; Polokwane City 1-2 SuperSport United

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