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‘WE’RE NOT AT OUR BEST’

28/01/2020 08:18:00 Ashmond Nzima

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MBABANE – Only one goal and no win in over six hours of football.

That is the unwelcome record for MTN Premier League title hopefuls Mbabane Swallows who have now failed to win in four straight matches in all competitions. Frustration crept in after the latest result against Denver Sundowns which ended in a 1-all draw in a MTN Premier League game at Somhlolo National Stadium on Sunday. It was Swallows’ first goal of the new year but it was not enough to end their jinx and they lost further ground on the MTN Premier League title race. They are currently six points adrift of the top spot. A section of the fans crammed the exit of their side’s tunnels demanding answers.

In reaction to the slump and Sunday’s drama, the capital city giants, through Marketing and Communications Manager Mancoba Mabuza released a statement yesterday, admitting that all was not well. “It’s not easy; we’re not at our best moment and we all know the standards at Mbabane Swallows and we are currently not happy about where we are.
“Furthermore, we are grateful to our fans who continue to come to the stadium and cheer the club even though results are not so impressive these days. We assure them of our commitment to their happiness. The club leadership is working towards improvement and we will soon get back to our winning ways. We thank supporters for their patience and understanding as we work around this,” said Mabuza.

Criticism

Team General Manager Sandile Zwane, who found himself sandwiched by some of the fans behind the tunnels, stressed that he accepted the criticism but said he would not allow disrespect. He alleged that there were people who were spreading lies about the team. “We have new players and management. We’re in a transition phase. It took us four years to build the formidable team we had. There is a clique that is out to derail the team by spreading lies about management. As one of the people in management, I take the blame but I won’t allow to be disrespected by people who claim I make appointments. “All we need now is support. We can’t all lead the team but we’re always ready to listen to ideas,” he said. Zwane said as far as he was concerned, the team came to the party against Denver Sundowns and did enough to grind a result with a depleted squad following six injuries.

Meanwhile, Swallows have played draws in three straight league matches. They are also out of the Ingwenyama Cup following a 0-1 to rivals Mbabane Highlanders over a fortnight ago. The last time they celebrated a win was back on December 7, 2019 when they beat Malanti Chiefs by 2-0 in a league match-up. The latter are at the basement of the charts.