Relegation dogfight
DROP ZONE: BOTTOM THREE IN MASSIVE DOGFIGHT TO STAY IN TOP FLIGHT
AmaZulu hero Ntuli desperate to avoid the pain of getting relegated again.
Bonginkosi Ntuli knows only too well the pain of being relegated. He went through that experience with Golden Arrows last season. He doesn’t want to repeat it with AmaZulu, even though he is there on loan from Mamelodi Sundowns.
“It hurts, because you think of your livelihood and how playing in the fi rst division will affect it,” Ntuli said. “It felt like my world had ended when I was relegated with Arrows. Even signing for Sundowns didn’t remove all of that pain, it’s something that sticks with you for a long time.”
The thought of that pain fuelled Ntuli to score a well-taken brace on Wednesday to help Usuthu keep their survival dream alive with a 2-1 win over University of Pretoria. But the job is not done yet. Usuthu have to beat Maritzburg United and hope Kaizer Chiefs defeat Chippa United for AmaZulu to reach 14th position in the table, and complete safety.
“Those two goals were very important because they not only helped the team get much needed three points but it also brought back my confidence,” Ntuli said.
“It was tough when I arrived here because I wasn’t playing. I wasn’t match-fit but they worked with me until I got there, I am able to play 90 minutes now. I want to repay them with helping the team stay in the PSL.”
Craig Rosslee feels the same towards Moroka Swallows. The Dube Birds hired him after spending six months in the wilderness since Usuthu fired him in October last year. Swallows roped him in in March to help them beat the drop, but they find themselves languishing at the bottom of the log, needing a miracle to avoid automatic relegation and the play-offs. The club didn’t do themselves any favours by conceding in the last minute to lose 2-1 to Ajax Cape Town.
Now they must beat Bloemfontein Celtic and hope that things go their way in the AmaZulu match if they are to make the relegation/ promotion play-offs and avoid automatic relegation.
“Anything can happen, it’s a funny old game,” Rossle said, after the loss to Ajax. “The players have to lift their heads, pick ourselves up and regroup as quickly possible.”