10 Oct 2016

Two second half blunders by Tasc goalkeeper, Sekang Pilane cost his side dearly as they went down two-nil to BR Highlanders in a Debswana First Division North (FDN) league encounter on Sunday (October 9) afternoon.

Played at the old Francistown Stadium, the game brought the two sides face to face in the first games of the 2016/17 season in a long journey to grab league championship and automatic promotion to the lucrative top flight league, BTC Premiership.

Tasc goalie had earlier on in the first half endeared himself to his supporters’ hearts when he saved a penalty on the 24^th minute taken by Onkgolotse Motlhabankwe.

Tango Boys, as Tasc is affectionately called by its supporters, had brought down BR Highlanders striker, Oagile Ookeditse inside the box on the 23^rd minute to earn his side the penalty before Motlhabankwe could not get past Pilane.

That save seemed to put Tasc on a buoyant mood and held the former be Mobile Premiership campaigners at bay for the entire first half.

Then in the second half, BR Highlanders started to dictate terms and visited their opponents’ goal posts from time to time.

But Tasc was not ready to sit back, especially in their own backyard and allow the visiting side the opportunity to dictate terms as they unleashed their own strikers, though very wasteful most of the time and shooting wide even when faced with only BR Highlanders goalie, Ookeditse Semelamela to beat.

The likes of Victor Watlala and Thabo Kgomotso were culprits of the day, disappointing their new coach Mmoloki Masole and his technical team.

BR Highlanders then put their name to the score sheet on the 73^rd minute through a tap in by Thatogo Moamogedi after Pilane failed to handle a seemingly tame cross from Otlaarongwa Nthumolang.

Such blunder brought the morale of the entire Tasc side to a low level, quickly erasing the good Pilane made in the first half when he saved the penalty.

Tango Boys however tried to shake off the disappointment and soldier on as soldiers that they are, but they did not know another blunder was in store.

A long range left footed drive by Nthumolang appeared as if Pilane would easily save, only for the youthful goalkeeper to find it in the back of the net without any explanation ready as to how it slipped past him.

This second goal put to rest Tasc’s hope of starting the league on a clean slate and amassing the maximum points. ENDS