Rollers peel away

MQONDISI DUBE
Staff Writer | Tuesday October 26, 2010 00:00

 

The title race reached week nine with the defending champions emphasising the gulf in quality with a commanding display in a 3-2 win over BDF XI on Friday night.

After a slow start, Rollers upped the tempo in the second half, with captain Joel Mogorosi grabbing a brace. Malawian midfielder Lawrence Majawa made sure the points were safe with a thunderous strike towards the end. Jones Kwape and Mogae Lephojane replied for the army side.

BDF XI's loss heaped pressure on coach Losikalame 'Six' Keatlholotswe whose side has made a stuttering start to the campaign. Rollers now have 25 points from nine outings, two ahead of ECCO. The Francistown side dropped two points when they drew 1-1 against Chiefs on Saturday.

For long periods, Chiefs dominated against a lethargic ECCO side and should have bagged the three points early in the second half.

Magosi played much of the second stanza with numerical advantage after defender Mooketsi Hlabano saw red in the 57th minute.

Moemedi 'Jomo' Moatlhaping converted from the spot to put Chiefs ahead after Hlabano had fouled Pontsho Moloi. The game, watched by national team coach Stanley Tshosane was not spectacular but did provide some breathtaking moments.

The sight of the gangly Mandlaenkosi 'Sukunyetsa' Sibanda sweeping past four challengers was a marvel for the crowd.Sibanda was clearly ECCO's outstanding player with some clever running and passing.

But the same could not be said about a chubby Bonolo Fraizer who had a bad day in office. Tshosane might have been under pressure to recall Malepa Bolelang, but the stocky striker did not offer much on Saturday to convince the gaffer to rethink his decision.

Gwandu's suspect defending continued as he was caught out on a number of occasions. In one move, Gwandu committed himself to a late challenge on Sibanda who had left three other markers sprawling on the turf. However, he mistimed his challenge and Sibanda easily rode past a sliding Gwandu.

Luckily the danger was averted.

There was a twist in the tale when Zambian defender, James Kachinga received his marching orders in the 85th minute. ECCO duly took advantage to equalise moments after.

In the build-up to the goal, Gwandu was left writhing in agony as Sibanda proceeded to score a vital goal in the 88th minute to even matters. The goal was greeted by a stunned silence from the Chiefs' fans as Sibanda took off to the far end to join ECCO supporters in celebration.

Chiefs remain fifth and coach Rahman Gumbo should be worried about his side's title prospects. Extension Gunners confirmed their inconsistency with a 1-0 loss to Police XI on Sunday. Gunners dropped from third to fourth spot while Police climbed to sixth.

Gaborone United (GU) re-ignited their title hopes with a slender 2-1 victory over Motlakase.

The Reds replaced Gunners in third spot while Motlakase's poor season persisted as they returned to the bottom after a brief respite last weekend. TASC and Nico United played a drab 2-2 draw in Selebi-Phikwe while Black Peril lost 2-0 to Uniao Flamengo Santos. Notwane's poor season continued as they lost 2-0 away to TAFIC.