Madlenya win Lubombo derby
Madlenya ........... 4
Njabulo 1st, 8th , Sethu 44th, Njabulo G 86th
Tambuti ............. 2
A ndile 63rd, Banele 75th
ITEKI - A Njabulo Gamedze strike diminished chances for a Tambuti comeback in their MTN Premier League Lubombo Region derby yesterday.
Gamedze netted a screamer just six minutes before full-time to hand his side a 4-2 win over the sugar-belt side. Interestingly, Tambuti were firing from all cylinders in the second half and were threatening a comeback after they were trailing 3-0 in the first half.
The hosts had grabbed an early lead through brace hero Njabulo Maziya and Sethu Ngcamphalala to shock their neighbours who had not expected it. The visitors had scored via the boots of Andile Gadlela and Banele Thwala in the second half.
The win takes Madlenya to the fifth spot from seventh with nine points, while Tambuti are second from bottom with a point.
SACTION
The game started like a house on fire with the home side breaking the deadlock a minute into the action through Maziya, who curled a powerful shot from the left flank to beat Tambuti goalkeeper Njabulo Sambo across the sticks. It was not long before Maziya completed his brace seven minutes later, benefitting from a goalmouth scramble to slot it home, making it 2-0.
Despite the hosts playing without their coach, William Gamedze, who was coaching from the stands, the hosts stretched their lead just
Njabulo Maziya (Madlenya): “It was a tough call to make between namesake Njabulo Maziya and Njabulo Gamedze but then the former scorer a brace and was good on the ball, his first touch and his shots were always on target. Maziya is one man to watch, if he is consistent throughout the season.”
a minute before the break through their star player Ngcamphalala who unleashed a volley from the left flank, making it 3-0 to provoke scenes of celebration from the over 100 home fans. Noteworthy is that the visitors were relentless in their attack but could not get any goal in the first stanza.
PRESSURE
They continued piling pressure in the second half and just three minutes after the hour mark, the sugar-belt side finally got rewarded with a goal through Gadlela who let fly a rocket from a loose ball to beat the opposition goalkeeper Mndeni Lukhele.
The away side was at it again with just 15 minutes before full-time and this time it was Banele Thwala heading home an Issa Serry corner kick, beating the goalkeeper who was way out of his line. The second goal brought hope and coach Mlamuli ‘Sputla’ Zwane was seen motivating the boys but then the unthinkable happened when the home side attacked much against the run of play to put the game out of their reach.
Njabulo Gamedze was the hero as he ensured they won the derby, beating Sambo with a cliffhanger with just six minutes left on the clock. He received a pass from Ngcamphalala and took defenders on a solo run before unleashing a scorcher.