No derby win in 3 years for ‘Bull’

MBABANE – The Mbabane derby is back – and Mbabane Highlanders want it badly.

As the calendar flips to a New Year, the traditional rivals will lock horns on Sunday, January 4, 2026, at the Mavuso Sports Centre, the first Sunday of the new year, with Highlanders desperate to end a barren run that has seen them go three years without a league derby victory over Mbabane Swallows. The confirmation of Mavuso Sports Centre means the bid to secure Somhlolo National Stadium has failed.

Highlanders last claimed derby bragging rights on December 17, 2022, edging Swallows 2-1 in a hard-fought Premier League encounter. Since then, the fixture has been unkind to the Black Bull, delivering a sequence of draws and defeats that have kept city supremacy firmly out of reach.

Recent history paints a clear picture. The most recent meeting ended 0-0, while Swallows have landed telling blows along the way, including a 2-0 victory in November 2024 and a dramatic 3-2 win in May 2024. Each of those results has only added weight to Highlanders’ growing hunger to finally turn the tide.

Despite the intensity and passion that define the Mbabane derby, the rivalry has often been cagey rather than explosive. Goals are usually scarce, nerves tight and margins razor-thin – a fixture that has lived more on tension than on score-lines.

Yet, form and figures will count for little when the whistle blows. For Highlanders, January 4 is about restoring pride and ending a three-year wait. For the ‘Birds’, it is about extending dominance and maintaining a psychological edge they have enjoyed in recent seasons.

Highlanders head into the derby placed eighth in the 16-team league, showing signs of recovery after a mixed December. They closed the year on a high with a confident 3-1 victory over Tabankulu Celtics on December 27. Before that came a goalless draw against Moneni Pirates, a 3-1 away defeat to Royal Leopards, another stalemate against Ubombo Sugar and a gritty 2-1 away win over Young Buffaloes. The run suggests a side that is competitive and resilient, but still searching for consistency.

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