Madibaz must stave off a tide of despair

WITH the dreaded relegation axe hanging precariously over their heads the struggling Madibaz will be under huge pressure to deliver an elusive win against Shimlas in a Varsity Cup clash in Bloemfontein tonight.

Though the odds are heavily stacked against his team, determined Madibaz coach David Maidza says there is no question of his men throwing in the towel.

To keep alive their slim hopes of beating the drop to the lower Varsity Shield competition the Madibaz must snap a six-match losing streak.

Last week’s defeat against Maties left the Madibaz bottom of the Varsity Cup log with two rounds remaining.

The Maties clash was abandoned in the 48th minute at the Madibaz Stadium because of crowd trouble which forced the players to leave the field.

In accordance with Varsity Cup rules, Maties were declared the winners because they were leading 19-0 when the match was stopped.

“Our rules state that if a game is stopped in the second half for any reason, the score at the time will stand as the final score,” Varsity Cup chief executive Duitser Bosman said.

It has been a frustrating season for the winless Madibaz, who came agonisingly close to grabbing wins in their opening games against Ikeys, CUT Ixias and Pukke.

Their inability to get over the line in those tight games, has left the Port Elizabeth side facing a relegation battle at the wrong end of the table.

If Maidza’s side do manage to conjure up a win over Shimlas, they face a tense final game of the season against fellow strugglers Tuks in Pretoria.