The Reds halt Rollers' juggernaut

MQONDISI DUBE
Staff Writer | Tuesday November 9, 2010 00:00

 

After soaking up pressure on a wet pitch, Rollers finally yielded late in the second half through a looping header from Zambian, Ronald Chikomo.

The defending champions have perfected the art of obliterating opponents even on a bad day.

On Sunday, it was business as usual when Zambian assassin, Musonda Mweuku, thrust the leaders into the lead in the 20th minute.

GU seemed nervy early on with their off season signing, Kgaswane Tshifhiwa failing to contain Joel Mogorosi. It was no surprise when the increasingly influential Mogorosi, easily paced away from Tshifhiwa before planting a cross in the box, which caused confusion. A vastly improved Mweuku duly gave the champions the lead.

The Reds feared the worst as Rollers were worth their lead and threatened to overrun them in the 'battle of the city'. While Mogorosi was a menace, there were times when he was an irritant with some selfish play. In one move, a subdued Sekhana 'Nandos' Koko played a neat pass to Mogorosi and expected his captain to reciprocate, but the winger chose to go it alone. The ball ended in the stands and an infuriated Koko who was better positioned to score watched in agony.

GU should be cursing themselves for letting young goalkeeper, Mampule Masule settle in the match. Masule was only making his first start in place of suspended Kabelo Dambe.

In an uneventful opening period, the closest GU came to testing the greenhorn was a shot from dreadlocked midfielder, Sageby Sandaka, which flew wide. By the time GU came searching for an equaliser, the young goalkeeper had settled in.

He made three good saves towards the end of the first half as the Reds went to the breather the stronger of the two sides.With questions over the solidity of the Rollers' defence not entirely answered, Chikomo provided fresh worries for Wesley Mondo's side when he rose unmarked to place a header beyond Masule with only minutes remaining.

The custodian and his defenders were at fault for the goal. The Rollers' defence was caught flat-footed and allowed Chikomo to leap and head unchallenged. In the GU line-up, credit has to go to Tshifhiwa who grew in confidence and frequently visited the opponents' half, putting in some decent crosses.

Koko who made an off-season switch from bitter rivals, Mochudi Centre Chiefs, failed once again to replicate his good form. The coach, Mondo, probably exacerbated Koko's situation as he made him to operate from an unfamiliar role in the middle of the pitch, rather than out wide.

Other Premier League sides will take heart from GU's display, knowing well that, if put under pressure, the Rollers' wall can crack. ECCO were the first side to refuse to yield to Rollers when the two sides played to a 2-2 draw last month.