Highlanders leapfrog TAFIC
Koketso Kgoboge | Tuesday December 13, 2016 15:17
After the weekend, Highlanders and TAFIC are both on 23 points and 12 goals, while Motlakase Power Dynamos are on the duo’s tails with 22 points and 10 goals following a 2-0 home victory against struggling FC Satmos.
A first half penalty ensured Highlanders went home with the three valuable points in a tightly contested affair in Mahalapye.
Highlanders’ coach, Boyo ‘Oris’ Radipotsane was happy to have escaped with maximum points. “We are happy for the three points. We did not play our best football and I must commend ECCO for a brilliant display. They are by far the strongest team that we have faced this season and they made us sweat for the points,” he said.
Having been the most travelling side in the first half of the season, Radipotsane said they have pushed themselves well and are looking to close the chapter on a high against Maun Tigers in the coming weekend.
“We have travelled a lot in the first round and we want to wrap up in a high note in Maun. We will be smooth sailing in the second round with most of our games coming home and it will be for us to give away the league.
We have a great advantage and we are very optimistic of a top finish come May (2017),” he said.
In Francistown, Real Movers caused a scare with a first minute goal that made TAFIC toil until they scrapped an equaliser in the second half. A miscalculation from a long-range free kick saw the TAFIC goalkeeper spill the ball into the packed box and Akanyang Akanyang blasted home.
The goalkeeping mistake left Blessing Moyo a worried man. “This is a game we should have won. We put ourselves under immense pressure in the first minute with a silly mistake by our goalkeeper. It is moments like these that bring a lot of disorder but credit to the boys because they managed to come back at last,” he said.
TAFIC’s on-form marksman, Mooketsi Mampori levelled matters on the hour mark and took his tally to five goals in five consecutive games.
In other games, bottom-placed TASC’s woes continued when they were held to a goalless draw by Chobe United in Francistown. Maun Tigers and Morupule Wanderers also played to a 1-1 draw in Palapye, while the Sua Flamingoes and Great North Tigers encounter was called off due to a water logged pitch after heavy rains in Sowa Town.