Share

Stellies set pace while Kings remain in real danger

accreditation
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN Nkanyiso Zungu (right) and Stellenbosch FC have been a side to beat, while Bafana Dlamini and his Real Kings team-mates have been chasing from the bottom. They meet today. Picture: Ryan Wilkisky / BackpagePix
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN Nkanyiso Zungu (right) and Stellenbosch FC have been a side to beat, while Bafana Dlamini and his Real Kings team-mates have been chasing from the bottom. They meet today. Picture: Ryan Wilkisky / BackpagePix

Of the sides that are in the bottom segment of the NFD table, Real Kings look set to be a write-off among the relegation candidates.

In fact, before this weekend’s fixtures, half the division had cause for concern, with eight games left to conclude the current campaign.

Kings are in the danger zone, and face the most difficult run-in compared with fellow bottom dwellers Witbank Spurs, Ubuntu Cape Town, Cape Umoya United and Jomo Cosmos.

Starting today, Kings host leaders Stellenbosch FC in a top-versus-bottom fixture.

Kings will next meet other Mother City sides Umoya and Ajax Cape Town back-to-back in their remaining matches, as well as Cosmos.

Also this afternoon, Umoya and Ubuntu will face off in a six-pointer at Athlone Stadium.

Dicing with relegation is not something new to Ubuntu, who have proved with their wins over Maccabi FC and Cosmos recently that they can pull out big results in times of need.

After all, the Capetonians are guided by Vladislav Heric, the nomadic Serbian with a proven track record of helping teams survive relegation.

Ubuntu’s great escape last season is also well documented. They held on to their NFD status by a mere 32 points, and so did Spurs, who held on with 31 points three seasons ago.

So, anyone who hits the 30-point mark could well be on course to survive.

Umoya seem energised under coach Dominic Isaacs, who took over the team from Roger De Sá late last year.

The newly formed side have collected six points out of a possible 15 in their past five outings.

As for Cosmos, their form has been deteriorating rather than improving and Jomo Sono’s men will be confronting an awkward run of fixtures, starting with their clash against promotion-chasing Royal Eagles this afternoon.

Cosmos have suffered four defeats in their past six matches, with one win and a draw.

Former NFD side TS Sporting coach Benson Mhlongo is well placed to comment on the turn of events, with particular focus on the relegation scrap.

“People are only talking about the race in the PSL, but the NFD is dishing out thrills and spills of its own,” observed the former mentor.

“I don’t think Kings will survive. Cosmos and Maccabi have also dropped dramatically from the top four, and their many draws are not helping their cause.”

Mhlongo agreed that Ubuntu might well survive and it could be down to Spurs and Umoya, who will hang on for dear life.

“Umoya has been going up since Dominic took charge, and Shakes Mashaba has also turned things around by dragging Spurs away from the bottom.”

Mhlongo also weighed in on the race for promotion, pointing out that the teams at the top were not there by fluke.

“You can tell there is a plan and structure in place in teams like Stellenbosch.

“Other club owners don’t have the patience to build their teams over time. Also, not many coaches are given freedom and only a few can stand up against the interference of owners in technical matters.”

The former Orlando Pirates and Bafana midfielder enjoyed a six-and-a-half month spell with Sporting before he walked out on the Mpumalanga-based club in December, citing interference.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you believe that the various planned marches against load shedding will prompt government to bring solutions and resolve the power crisis?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes
21% - 103 votes
No
79% - 395 votes
Vote