TAMBUTI STUN ‘WESLIANS’ IN RELEGATION DUEL

MHLUME – Can Manzini Wanderers survive the axe this time around?

It’s a question that lingers on every local football fanatic these days as once again the revival of stuttering Wanderers took a heavy blow yesterday in the MTN Premier League. Both teams went into the match desperate for the maximum points as they hover near the relegation zone, two will be relegated at the end of the season and Wanderers are not safe and their results are not helping the situation. One could see the technical bench and supporters in near tears as the situation unfolded.

The maroon and white hub giants lost their second consecutive match, after having won three in a row. Their hub neighbours Manzini Sea Birds cut their spell short then Tambuti nailed them down again yesterday in the eastern part of the country.  

It was 3-1 in favour of the sugar belt side, that sat second from bottom, before this result. The margin also reflects that of the first round but it was Wanderers who won 3-1 on December 4, last year. The result does not change much in terms of their standing, with Tambuti levelling up on 14 points with Wanderers who could drop by one place should Tambankulu Callies manage a win against Denver Sundowns in Big Bend, Mayaluka Stadium later yesterday.

Command

The home team started like a house on fire Sibonginkhosi ‘Gudas’ Dlamini in good command of the midfield. It was no surprise when Wanderers took the lead inside the opening 20 minutes through winger William Kunene. The latter pounced on a pass by debutant Bongani Fakudze who picked him unmarked inside the box and all he did was to simply finish it off and 1-0 it was to Wanderers.

Tambuti were not deterred by the goal as they started settling and crafted their own moves to unsettle the opposition. Tambuti had the 1-0 win over a tough Madlenya last week to build for this game and they displayed a high level of confidence despite trailing. They levelled matters two minutes before half-time, after Banele Shongwe was in the right place to take advantage of a rebound ball and made it 1-all going to the break.

The ‘Weslians’ as Wanderers are fondly known, made changes at the restart of the game, Coach Terisayi Changara, introducing Phathizwe Mabuza and Njabulo ‘Koko’ Gama. The spirited Lubombo-based side doubled matters just six minutes after the restart with Banele again on target to record a brace. He benefitted from a Msimisi Motsa pass to score with a volley against the advancing shot stopper.

There was hope for a comeback when Gudas saw his point-blank chance agonisingly parried over for a corner kick by goalkeeper Phila Mamba. The Wanderers efforts were halted when Tambuti made it 3-1 via the boot of Msimisi Motsa a few minutes after the hour mark. He was nicely picked by brace hero Banele to loop the ball over the advancing goalkeeper right into the far corner of the net.

Pressure

Wanderers piled pressure but it was little too late, as Tambuti held on until the final whistle, leaving the former who have documented financial challenges including failure to pay salaries for five months now deep in relegation trouble. Their survival will be guaranteed if they reach at least 33 to 35 points and they have 10 matches to change their misfortunes. Tambuti are also out for survival, while Wanderers have flirted with relegation in previous seasons due to financial troubles, but always survived. It remains to be seen if they can survive this season or they will be historically relegated for the first time in their history, it happened to Mbabane Highlanders who were back in the top flight within a season.

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