Relegation battle: He who blinks first gets the chop
Boitumelo Khutsafalo | Friday May 8, 2026 09:55
The relegation battle could not get more interesting than the current situation following the outcomes of the midweek fixtures. Black Lions, Extension Gunners, Santa Green, and Calendar Stars are all fighting for the single spot (13th position) above the drop zone with two games remaining for each side.
The midweek results added more fuel to the fire with Stars and Santa Green both recording vital wins to take the survival battle down to the wire.
Stars, sitting at the bottom of the table, comfortably beat Gunners 3-0 on Tuesday afternoon in Francistown. It was only their fifth win of the season and the first in the last six Premier League matches.
The victory took them to 21 points, three below the drop zone. A defeat to Gunners would have almost condemned them to the lower division but they had other ideas on Tuesday, emphatically smashing three past a hapless Lobatse side.
The road ahead does not look very smooth for the rookies with the first match after the Orange FA Cup break being against champions, Gaborone United (GU).
A loss to GU could confirm their relegation before they take on TAFIC in the last game, depending on how other relegation candidates fare.
Santa Green also need a miracle to survive and that miracle could have been kicked off this week when they completed a double over Orapa United. The Mahalapye-based side is sitting at position 15 with 22 points following their 1-0 win over Orapa United on Tuesday.
It was their second win over the Ostriches this season. Their survival now depends on how Black Lions play in their remaining two games.
If the latter record a single win in the last two games, the 13th position will now be out of reach for Santa Green. Interestingly, they are still to play against Lions in the last fixture of the season. But they start against TAFIC and both matches will be played away from their home ground.
Gunners will rue the opportunity missed when they lost 3-0 to Calendar Stars on Tuesday, missing out on a chance to go above Black Lions.
Currently sitting at position 14, Gunners now face an uphill battle to pick up points against Nico United and Mochudi Centre Chiefs in their last two games.
Failure to pick up any point in the two matches will automatically send them back to the lower division. Both games will be played at home and a win against Nico United could take a huge dive towards securing their Premier League status, before they face Chiefs in the last game.
Black Lions currently occupy 13th position despite their 1-0 defeat at the hands of Police XI on Wednesday. They face Sua Flamingoes away in their next game before they wrap up their season against Santa Green at home.
Meanwhile, TAFIC only need a point in the last two matches against Santa Green and Calendar Stars to stay in the elite league.
Remaining games:
13th position: Black Lions (24 points) - Sua Flamingoes (Away) - Santa Green (Home)
14th position: Extension Gunners (23 points) - Nico United (Home) - Mochudi Centre Chiefs (Home)
15th position: Santa Green (22 points) - TAFIC (Away) - Black Lions (Away)
16th position: Calendar Stars (21 points) - Gaborone United (Away) - TAFIC (Away)