Sharps, Santos� promotion duel rages on
Boitumelo Khutsafalo | Wednesday March 29, 2017 14:41
The games were postponed on March 18 due to waterlogged pitches after heavy downpours.
Sharps take on Black Peril at Sharps ground at Old Naledi while Santos lock horns with Metebejane at SSG Ground. Notwane host Ramotswa-based Letlapeng in Tlokweng.
Sharps and Santos have been engaged in a fierce battle for the top spot although the former have been holding that position for a while now.
Only two points separate the two sides. Sharps have 36 points from 17 games while Santos have 34.
Sharps assistant coach, Davis Kopi has emphasised the need to take every game as it comes and not worry about what happens elsewhere. Following their 2-0 important win over Lesirane on Saturday, Kopi said that match was now water under the bridge and their focus was on Black Peril match. They kicked off this week’s training on Monday.
Before the match was abandoned in the 38th minute, Letlapeng were leading 1-0 against Black Peril courtesy of Moemedi Moatlhaping’s goal from the spot.
The weather conditions quickly changed and within some minutes it rained. The match officials and team captains thereafter inspected the pitch and a decision was made to postpone the match since the pitch was not in good playing condition.
At the time the match was evenly contested and despite Sharps having taken the lead, Black Peril also had chances but failed to convert them into goals before the match was abandoned.
Santos on the other hand will also be looking to win their match against Matebejane as the race for automatic promotion continues. Should Sharps drop points against Black Peril even with a draw, Santos will take over first position due to a superior goal difference.
They have a five-goal advantage over the log leaders. If they both win, Sharps and Santos will further pull away from Mogoditshane Fighters in the third position who have collected 32 points. Fighters are not in action today since they have already played one more game than the top two sides.
However, Black Peril’s win over Sharps will throw the championship race wide open since Peril is also not far off. They are currently in position four with 30 points. A win will take them to 33 points, just three behind Sharps.
Notwane, whose promotion dreams continue to fade every weekend, are forced to win all their remaining matches if they are to return to the Premier League.
A win over Letlapeng this afternoon will take them to position five with 27 points. However, Letlapeng are likely to be a difficult opponent considering that they are living dangerously in the relegation zone. They sit in position nine with 20 points.