10 May 2018

The battle for the BTC Premiership may be getting all the limelight heading into the final stretch of the campaign, but suspense still  lingers at the other end of the table.

The curtain is slowly falling on the 2017/2018 league campaign with only six points to play for from the remaining two games, and the relegation dogfight is in full swing.

With Gilport Lions and Union Flamengo Santos already condemned to the first division come next season, it is up to the trio of Sankoyo Bush Bucks, Tafic and Security Systems to fight tooth and nail to avoid relegation.

Police XI officially beat the drop with a stunning 3-1 win against struggling Gilport Lions, but three teams below them still have work to do to ensure they do not suffer the same fate.

Perennial relegation candidates Sankoyo Bush Bucks have all to fight for in their remaining two fixtures, and they kick-start their battle for survival against fellow strugglers Gilport Lions with a home game in Maun on Saturday (May 12).

They round off their campaign against Police XI a week later at Otse police college.

Going into the first round break, Sankoyo were comfortably occupying the mid-table of the league at position six with 19 points, but a dreadful run of results has put them in a worrying position, and one could feasibly argue that they have been sucked into an almost unavoidable relegation battle.

Looking down the league, Sankoyo will need a miracle if they are to survive, and their encounter against Gilport Lions at the weekend is likely to define their season.

Having collected maximum points with a 2-1 win in their first round encounter against Gilport Lions, Sankoyo will approach the Saturday game as hot favorites but the Maun based outfit has found the going tough, particularly when playing at home as they are yet to taste victory in their own backyard.

Sankoyo has had the worst attack in the second half of the season and only  managed to accumulate 10 points to add to the 19 collected in the first round, taking their points tally to 29.

Victory on Saturday (May 12) could see Sankoyo move above Tafic before the final round should Tafic lose to Extension Gunners in Lobatse on Saturday.

Tafic are also the main protagonists in the relegation dogfight at spot 13 and only two points above Sankoyo.

Demotion for Tafic seemed almost certain two weeks ago, but the Matjimenyenga boys, as Tafic is affectionately known, bounced back with a win over relegation rivals Sankoyo in their last encounter to put a two point daylight between them and Sankoyo.

Although Tafic’s cause was aided on match day 28 with a win against Sankoyo, their fate is not solely in their own hands as the battle remains too close to call, and they will close their 2017-2018 BTC premiership chapter with another all to play for encounter against Black Forest at the Francistown Sports Complex on May 19.

Meanwhile, the battle for the top eight finish is also expected to go all the way down to the wire as Extension Gunners, Mochudi Centre Chiefs, Black Forest and Sharps Shooting Stars all fancy their chances.

Gunners are the furthest of the four in the four horse race for the top eight battle at position 10 with 34 points, and the Peleng giants have been flirting with relegation in recent seasons except for last season when they finished in a respectable position four.

However last season’s sensational fourth place finish must feel like a distant memory for Gunners, who find themselves in a far-fetched dream to finish in the top eight.

Mochudi Centre Chiefs on the other hand have had a roller coaster season by far.

At the end of January, it seemed inevitable that Magosi would bite the dust come the end of the season, but the arrival of Maxwell Moyo to their technical setup seems to be writing a happy ending to what had looked like a tragedy for most of the season, and they ought to pick up impressive wins in their remaining two games and hope that both Forest and Sharps stumble in their remaining encounters.

A mammoth task however lays ahead for Chiefs as they have to play two super powers in Jwaneng Galaxy and Orapa United.

Furthermore, both Forest and Sharps have the destiny of a top eight finish on their hands as they need to win both of their remaining games to finish in the top eight bracket. ENDS