07 May 2017

As BTC Premiership heads for a close, some teams are fighting hard to finish the season with silverware while others are vying for a position in the top eight.

Unfortunately, there are those who are rooted at the bottom of the log. Those are fighting tooth and nail to avoid being dropped from the elite league.

Lobatse-based Extension Gunners fought hard to maintain their 4th spot in the league and keep the four time league champions, Mochudi Centre at the 9th spot after hammering them 2-0 at Lobatse sports complex on Saturday.

In a fiercely contested match, Gunners players displayed composure and potency as the first half kicked off and the speed of the game gained momentum from loud cheers from Mapantsola fans who sang their victory songs and that pushed Mapantsola boys to frequent Kgatleng giants’ yard although they came empty handed.

On the other hand, the Kgatleng giants did not let the Peleng giants get the better of them as they also put up remarkable attacks to stop their opponents.

The troubled Magosi with the help of Jerome Ramatlhakwane and Tendai Nyamadzawo also tried their luck to shake the Gunners defense but their efforts hit a snag as the Gunners boys humiliated them.

The referee called for a half time and both teams were still nil-nil albeit the game was awarded two minutes extra time  as the first half was physical and marred with many fouls and unfortunately Wazha Seleka booked himself the first yellow card of the game for a foul  on his opponent.

After  half time, both teams came with guns blazing vying for goals and in the 56th minute Ofentse Mmipi hit the back of the Magosi’ s net, registering the first goal of the match after a brilliant pass from Kenanao “Flo” Kgetholetsile.

Mmipi’s  goal sent their supporters in a jubilant mood while Magosi fans sat quietly watching their team with bleeding hearts.

The goal also motivated the Peleng boys as they continued mounting pressure on their opponents as Thabo Metlhayotlhe, Moatlhodi Ralesota and Kgetholetsile kept on knocking on Kenalemang’s door .

Both teams went for each other’s neck and in just few minutes Ralesota who was a marvel to watch brought more happiness to his fans, when he scored the second goal and unfortunately Mmipi suffered a muscle pull and he was replaced by Otlantshekela Mooketsi who continued to display brilliant performances as he attacked and defended his opponents from finding their way into their goal post.

As the tempo of the game increased, Gunners registered the second yellow card for Andrew Makopo after he delayed with the ball while Metlhayotlhe acted like a sniper in the game, he snatched balls from his opponents feet and what amused many was that, his opponents failed to snatch the ball from his feet.

Magosi coach, Bongani Mafu could not occupy his seat as he made his first substitution as Lesego Galenamotlhale made way for Thatayaone Ramatlapeng but the substitution did not bear fruit as they continued to be knocked aside by his opponents.

He also substituted Absalom Linbondi by Ronaldo Fourtune to up their game as he wanted to quench his thirstiness unfortunately his substitution plan did not change the game plan for Magosi as they continued to trail behind the Peleng giants as they took control of the game till the end.

Gunners coach, Itumeleng Duiker also made the second substitution as Thabiso Mabachi made way for Bonno Mosea and also roped in Mandla Mgandla who also displayed brilliant football skills on the field.

The goals seemed to give Mapantsola boys morale as they pushed hard to their opponents’ side seeking more goals tossing Magosi’s goal keeper, Kenalemang from pillar to post.

Kenanao aka “Flo” Kgetholetsile was crowned man of the match and won himself P1 000 be-Mobile airtime.

In an interview, Duiker said he was happy with the manner in which his team handled their opponents, as it brought happiness to him as well as on their supporters.

He also said his wish was to continue fighting hard to maintain position four since their chance to climb further was limited.

For his part, Mafu said his boys had ample opportunities to stay ahead of their opponents but they failed to utilise the moments.

He also mentioned that his players failed to deliver to his expectation because they were not training properly due to monetary problems.

He explained that the team arrived late for the game because they had problems at the camp as they had to call players on May 6 to come and honour the game.

However, he pleaded for the community’s support on monetary problems faced by Magosi in order to improve the welfare of players for better performances in future. ENDS