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WESLIANS, OTHERS MUST HIT 30 POINTS

26/02/2023 08:54:00 Chris Dlamini

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MBABANE – Surviving relegation will be an interesting battle this season – especially with less games to play than last season.

All the bottom four teams that got relegated last season failed to hit the 30-point mark, that saw struggling Tambuti survive by a whisker. This essentially means that this season, now on match-day 17 in the second round, may see the relegated bottom two failing to even reach 25 points, especially those in the bottom four already. Those being Tambuti (14 points), Manzini Wanderers (14 points), Tambankulu Callies (13 points) and basement side in rookies Seven Dreams, who have seven points with only nine games remaining for them before the league curtain closes. None of these teams won this week, Wanderers lost 0-1 to Green Mamba, Callies by the same margin to Moneni Pirates, Tambuti lost 1-3 to Royal Leopard, while Seven Dreams lost 0-4 to Mbabane Swallows.

Last season, four teams were relegated, but the rules were changed for this season. Those who got axed to the second-tier league, the MTN National First Division are Milling Hot Spurs (29 points), Rangers (27 points), Tinyosi, now Ezulwini United (23 points) and Malanti Chiefs (21 points), while Tambuti amassed 30 points and survived. Worth mentioning is that these teams played more games than this season as there were 16 teams then, there are only 14 this time around. This meant the relegated teams failed to reach to the 30-point mark despite playing four matches more than the those facing the axe this season will play.

All 14 teams in the elite league this season are to play a total 26 league matches as opposed to the 30 games played last season. Currently, Wanderers are third from bottom (11th) with 14 points and have nine games to try and reach 30 points or slightly more to be assured of safety, but last season the survival mark was 30 points. On 10th Tambuti have the same number of points with same game remaining while Callies have so far amassed 13 points. Rookies Seven Dreams have only seven. The latter two sides also have nine matches to battle relegation and some of them still have the big teams to play.

Speaking to an expert on what these teams needed to change to survive relegation, former Royal Leopard star and coach Sifiso ‘Nuro’ Ntibane who is currently not attached to any team said this was a tough season. “If you look at it this will go down to the last game and the bottom teams have to fight for draws on away games and win their home matches. So, that means they must be psychologically strong and focus on their games other than the looking at the log, at the moment it isn’t saying anything as it will change from time to time,” he said.

Ntibane did not hide the fact that playing lesser games than last season meant more effort from the bottom-placed teams which currently include financially strained hub giants, Wanderers. Ntibane is a well decorated coach having managed a quadruple as Leopard coach and has coached at junior national level while also working for Ezulwini United and Tambankulu Callies most recently. This season’s log table and that of the previous one is listed as well.