Though there are no changes at the top, the losses will certainly be a confidence booster to opponents because it has been proved that the leaders are not invincible. At the same time, the losses are a psychological setback for Rollers and ECCO who have been riding the crest of the waves with unbeaten records to show for it.
Both sides went into the weekend fixtures as favourites but got a rude awakening as Nico United and Police XI pulled unexpected shocks. ECCO received a 3-1 lashing at the hands of Nico in Francistown on Sunday while Police XI handed a 2-1 defeat to the log leaders at UB Stadium. The last time Rollers lost a match was at the beginning of the second round last season against Mochudi Centre Chiefs. The loss against Police came just a week after they demolished Notwane 4-0 in a game in which they increased their lead at the top by four points. The gap between them and ECCO however still remains the same but Chiefs increased their chance of a Premier League title with a victory over TASC on Saturday. It will be interesting to see how both Rollers and ECCO fare in their two remaining games of the first round. Rollers are left with TASC and Uniao Flamengo Santos while ECCO are still to play Miscellaneous and Gaborone United (GU).
