Rollers slip out of Chiefs� grasp
Mqondisi Dube | Tuesday April 12, 2016 11:35
Chiefs had watched Township Rollers toil under the National Stadium floodlights, but the Kgatleng giants let their fierce opponents slip out of their hands at a critical moment.
Most neutrals who wanted to see the race go down to the wire, yearned for a Chiefs win, and it appeared their wish had been granted when Onalethata ‘OT’ Tshekiso tucked away clinically with his left foot in the 52nd minute.
Chiefs fans, crowded out in the limited stands, raised their voice, the tantalising prospect of closing to just one point of their fierce rivals slowly becoming a reality.
Their coach, Michael Sithole, had previously decried lack of depth in his team but might rue the moment he decided to keep Thato Ramatlapeng on the bench. Pontsho Moloi and Tshekiso were ponderous upfront, with the skipper offering little with heavy touches and lacking a cutting edge in decisive moments.
Chiefs were stretching Rollers but without a genuine playmaker, it was left to Ayanda Molefhe to conjure his magic on the wing, which ultimately proved insufficient.
Sithole might find himself guilty of failing to set Molefhe on a dithering Tshepo ‘Talk Talk’ Motlhabankwe. ‘Talk Talk’ had already been booked when the teams disappeared for the interval after a foul on Molefhe. In a tactical switch, Mark Harrison immediately sent Motlhabankwe away from the diminutive trouble making Molefhe, instead assigning Kaone Westerhuizen.
Sithole could, and should, have asked Molefhe to switch to Motlhabankwe’s wing, and introduce fresher legs in place of Moloi.
Sithole and Chiefs were brutally punished for their profligacy when Moyana produced the night’s finest moment with a swerving free-kick in the 77th minute.
It was a cruel twist as Chiefs had bossed the encounter, but without any end product.
Although Sithole said the title race was still wide open, there is the crude reminder that all might end this weekend. A win for Rollers coupled with a Chiefs and Orapa United loss, would bring the curtain down on a race whose winner has never been in doubt.
Meanwhile, Orapa surrendered a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 against Sankoyo Bush Bucks to make their chase even difficult. They stay third, level with Chiefs and four points adrift. Rollers remain at the top with 61 points and need six points from the remaining three games to reclaim the title. They will play Police XI, Green Lovers and Orapa United in their last three matches. Chiefs play BDF XI, Nico United and Jwaneng Galaxy while Orapa United face Rollers, Green Lovers and Gilport Lions. BR Highlanders look set to join FC Satmos in the lower division following another loss over the weekend. Their hope lies on winning all the remaining games and hope that Green Lovers loses theirs. Motlakase’s survival hopes also suffered a dent when they lost 1-0 to Gilport Lions.