12 Apr 2016

As the 2015/16 beMOBILE Premier League comes to a close, it’s survival of the fittest as teams try all they could to remain in the league.

With only three games to go for each team, teams are upping their game to ensure their stay in the giant league and to remain relevant especially to their fans.

Not only are they up to please their fans, teams are also doing all they could to remain in the top positions of the lucrative league.

At yet another beMOBILE  league game played on Sunday at the Lobatse Sports Complex, Lobatse based Extension Gunners lived to the adage that a snake cannot be followed and killed at its home by beating the visiting Selibe Phikwe based Nico United 5 – 0.

Going into the game at 33 points and remaining at position nine, Mapantsula’s win  garnered them three points and rising to 36 points in the league.

Nico on the other hand is sitting on Gunner’s neck at the 10th position with 30 points.

Mapantsula boys had it tough on Majombolo from the onset as they gave more attacks and capitalising with goals.

It was from the 15th minute of the first half that Chico ‘Dance’ Nare’s boys took his instructions well and led with an opening goal of the game.

A rough tackle on Mothusi Cooper earned Gunners a free kick just outside the box which was taken by Oabile Makopo who scored the first goal of the game.

The goal seemed to give Nare’s boys morale to score more goals as they visited the goal keeper quite often than not .

Mothusi Cooper, 18-year-old from Tsabong was a marvel to watch, though the youngest of the team members, he had Nico players in his palm as he had his way of going past them with brilliant passes that gave the Gunners strikers a win of the game.

Cooper who just completed his Form 5 studies at GoodHope Senior Secondary School was the dear of the game and among his fans, whose excellent play gave him man of the match title walking away with P1 000 worth of airtime.

With this game, being his third since the premiership game started and his first whole 90 minutes, Mini Cooper as he is largely known by football lovers did not disappoint but gave his all, contributing largely to the 5 goals that Gunners gunned on the game.

The game went into half time, with Gunners leading 3 – 0 after a hit on the goal post by Mandla Mgadla did not deter Kekaetswe ‘Mara’ Moloi taking the ball head on and going past Nico’s goalkeeper Kagiso Rankabekwe.

With jubilation seen on their faces going into half time, Gunners players did not take long in the dressing room, but came off quickly as if hungry to score more goals and finish Nico off.

Though Nico had the likes of Gift Moyo and Oteng Legwaila, the two’s combination could not salvage them as Gunners scored two more goals after half time to end the game 5 – 0. Neither did Nicco United’ coach Duncan Tshegofatso’s substitution tactics bring any improvement but rather seemed to worsen his boy’s defence.

He kept on substituting defenders, trying to bring in more fresh legs in the likes of Nelson Moreetsi who replaced Obakeng Gaabaneng as well as Allen Ndodole who came in for Phineas Kgotlaang but to no avail.

The fresh legs could not help defend as Gunners players displayed a good sense of play, communicated well among themselves, were at ease and had good passes that earned them mettles of the game.

In an interview after the game, the elated Nare expressed his gratitude to the boys who executed the game plan they had, giving accolade to the youngster of the game, Cooper who he said was the future of the team.

Nare said  the win was all in the interest of building morale and momentum for the remaining games to ensure that the team still remains relevant to the league, the fans and the football fraternity at large.

He said, his team was even more focused to win the remaining 3 games to earn themselves a better title in the league.

Nico coach, Tshegofatso said the game was not executed by his boys as according to the plan, adding that the team’s game plan was to go all out, attack and put up a strong fight especially in the first half of the game.

Rather he said, the problem came out of allowing Gunners to make build ups from the back, receiving the balls and penetrating the defence, putting up crosses that were a challenge to also defend, opponents picking right spots and hitting the net.

The more goals, he said were also a discouragement to the boys and completely taking the steam out of the players. ENDS