Fighters, Buffaloes meet in promotion 'final'

CHIPPA LEGODIMO
Correspondent | Friday May 20, 2011 00:00

 

The decisive duel was supposed to be held last week but was postponed following a referees' strike. Buffaloes need to pump six goals without reply against Fighters to sail through and that is why coach Botshelo 'Observer' Pelokgosi can afford to be arrogant. The Fighters' coach has declared that the game is just a formality as his side has already made it to the Premier League. 'I do not see how Buffaloes can score six goals against a team like Fighters at this stage. I respect them but our current form would not let them achieve that feat. They can score against us but I reckon they would not finish ahead of us,' Pelokgosi said.

Although this sounds arrogant, it is the reality. Buffaloes need a miracle to score six times without conceding from the former national champions.  Buffaloes are three points behind Fighters with an inferior goal difference. The Kgatleng side might draw courage from a scenario four years ago when everyone thought Killer Giants had won automatic promotion. The Ramotswa club needed only a point in the last game against challengers Naughty Boys to get promoted. Naughty Boys under the guidance of a virtually inexperienced Mooketsi Motlhagodi needed three points and three goals to leapfrog Killer Giants and land automatically into the Premier League.

Killer Giants were left shell-shocked after Naughty Boys did just that. However, Buffaloes' assistant coach, Jetta Masobe, is realistic about his club's chances of automatic promotion saying they would not put their players under pressure. 'It would not be easy at all but we have a chance because football is unpredictable. We have told our players that they just need to make sure we win the match and forget about how many goals we score.

'We do not want to burden them, we know Fighters have done 90 percent of the job and if we go out there with only a win in our mind, we could end up getting the goals,' Masobe told Mmegi Sport.

He said their main focus should be making sure they win and finish in second spot and qualify for the promotion play-offs. 'That is the realistic target right now. 'We cannot afford to lose this match because even if we do not score many goals to finish top of the log, there is still a lot to play for. Anything could happen once we have qualified for the play-offs,' he said. The game will be played at Buffaloes Ground in Mochudi and kick-off time is 3:30pm.

In other matches, Letlapeng need to beat Queens Happy Hearts to keep their slim hopes of finishing second alive. A win for Letlapeng and a loss for Killer Giants and Buffaloes would give Timmy Setswe and his charges a place in the play-offs. Besides Letlapeng, another Ramotswa side, Killer Giants, are still part of the play-offs' equation.

They would be looking for nothing but a win against Jwaneng Comets who still have an outside play-off chance.

For Comets, losses to Killer Giants, Letlapeng and Buffaloes would be the right result if they entertain any hopes of promotion via the play-offs.

 Even if they win against Killer Giants, they will have to rely on results from other matches. Comets' chairman, Njabulo Gilika, recently said: 'It is not over until it is over.' Masitaoka face Kanye United in Molepolole while Young Strikers return to The Village for a duel with Prisons XI.