Win or bust for Spurs against Richards Bay
CAPE Town Spurs, who were downed by Sekhukhune United’s freak goal last week, are deep in relegation strife.
This strife will come to a head in tonight’s blockbuster relegation clash at Athlone Stadium, where Spurs will host fellow strugglers Richards Bay (7.30pm kick-off).
The outcome of the match could define the seasons of the two teams, who have been hogging the bottom rungs of the 16-team Premiership log for several weeks now. Spurs are in 16th place with 12 points, and Richards Bay are 15th, with 20.
Defeat for Spurs will mean that Richards Bay’s lead will grow from eight points to 11, and that will be the end of the Urban Warriors.
Or at least that’s how their coach Ernst Middendorp sees it, while hoping against hope for the win.
“If we don’t win on Friday evening, then you can close the book,” said the German-born Middendorp.
“That is the reality. We must win this game. It is as simple as that. How you do it (win) doesn’t matter, be it 1-0 or whatever, it doesn’t matter.
“The most important thing is not to switch off to make it happen.
“We need high focus and high commitment in each and every second of that game.
“At the professional level you can’t switch off, as we’ve seen it again and again in our games.”
After Spurs’ cataclysmic start to the season, Middendorp has had to deal with trouble and strife increasing every week on several fronts.
Players have not been pulling their weight, while match officials have been poor and made massive calls to the detriment of the Cape outfit.
A few days ago, winger Surprise Ralani stopped training after he played against Sekhukhune United in Polokwane last week. The seasoned player was on for an hour before he was substituted.
Middendorp will now have to rely on Boitumelo Radiopane to lead the side’s attack in his chosen 4-2-3-1 playing pattern.
Yesterday, Middendorp was reluctant to comment on his team’s travails, but told Independent Newspapers: “We are working on the collective ambitions of the team.”
Spurs and Kaizer Chiefs are the only sides that have failed to win a match in the last five league rounds.
Richards Bay arrive in the Mother City on the back of morale-boosting wins over Kaizer Chiefs and Moroka Swallows.
However, before those victories they had also suffered defeats against Golden Arrows and SuperSport United.
Richards Bay coach Vusumuzi Vilakazi said he needs consistency from his players in this crucial relegation clash.
“It’s not going to be easy. Playing away in Cape Town has never been easy but obviously we just need to be consistent,” said Vilakazi.
“We will try and capitalise on their weaknesses, and make sure that we fine-tune our offensive play in terms of converting the chances that we create.”
The players who could make an impact in the match are Keagan Buchanan (Spurs) and Simphiwe Mcineka (Richards Bay).
Buchanan came on as a substitute in Spurs’ last match and he showed moments of brilliance in terms of creativity.
If he starts this fixture, the midfielder might have more tricks up his sleeve to guide his struggling team to a win.
Mcineka scored the winning goal in the match against Chiefs, but the 27-year-old defender will need to be on form to prevent the Urban Warriors from scoring, as they will be desperate.
Meanwhile, Stellenbosch FC coach Steve Barker has challenged his side to carry their winning momentum into their clash against Polokwane City at the Danie Craven Stadium tomorrow (8pm).
This winning momentum has now spanned a period of 23 matches in all competitions, but Barker has noticed fatigue setting into the ranks of late.
“It’s just about managing the situation well, with a little bit of rotations when required,” said Barker, as he urged his youthful side to put in another shift that will consolidate second place on the log.*