Chiefs, Rollers set grand finale

Boitumelo Khutsafalo | Tuesday March 8, 2016 11:26

 

Rollers suffered their second defeat of the season to city rivals, Gaborone United (GU) on Saturday night. Chiefs on the other hand, beat Orapa United by a solitary goal on Friday.  Tendai Nyumasi maintained his scoring form and broke Orapa United’s long unbeaten run. Nyumasi has been a revelation for Chiefs this season chipping in with crucial goals. Magosi’s victory on Friday put Rollers under pressure heading into their derby against GU. The under-dog tag worked perfectly well for GU and with a lineup dominated by youngsters, GU outplayed Rollers, especially in the first half. Without experienced campaigners like Edwin Olerile, Gaopatwe Seosenyang and Ntesang Simanyana, youngsters including Obonwe Maome, Karabo Phiri and Gosegonna Molapisi came to the party. The early goal Thato Ogopotse conceded did not help matters for the log leaders and remained unsettled until the end of the first half. Rollers on the other hand were nowhere close to their best. “First half was in shambles. We lacked desire, commitment, hunger and a will to win. We spoke about it at half time and there was a little bit of competitiveness in the second half. At the same time we still did not play with enough quality,” Rollers coach, Mark Harrison said after the game. He said his charges’ performance in the first half was the worst he had seen this season.

Victorious coach, Stephen Maposa praised his players for coming to the party. “We prepared very well for this game. We were under dogs and I think that is one reason we won the game. We also won it from the midfield,” he said. Maposa was the stand-in coach with the head coach, Rudolf Zapata still awaiting his work permit. Rollers remain at the top with 54 points with six matches remaining while Chiefs are second with 52 points.

The two giants are yet to meet in the second round. Orapa United retained third position despite their loss and have 49 points with a game in hand. BDF XI bounced back to winning ways against FC Satmos and retained position four with 45 points. GU’s win moved them to position five and displaced Police XI who lost to Miscellaneous.

Meanwhile, Satmos are inching closer to relegation after yet another defeat on Saturday. A draw or loss in the next match will confirm their departure from the elite league. They have collected just six points from six draws, conceding 60 goals in the process. Motlakase Power Dynamos dispatched BR Highlanders and moved to position 14. Highlanders are in position 15 with a game in hand.