Stars hoping Bees can keep them buzzing
Kwazakhele side in battle to survive
MORNING Stars’ fate in the ABC Motsepe League lies in the hands of EC Bees, who took league honours after beating Future Tigers 2-0 at the weekend.
Stars will now have to pray to the football gods that Bees gain promotion to the National First Division (NFD) for them to survive relegation once again this season.
During the 2015-16 season, it was Mthatha Bucks’ promotion to the NFD that saved the Kwazakhele-based side from going down.
This is the fourth consecutive season that Stars have found themselves fighting relegation, but somehow they have always managed to stay up.
Stars, which are owned by former Bay deputy mayor Chippa Ngcolomba, pulled off an amazing 13-1 win against Matta Milan at the weekend, after struggling throughout the season to score.
The win was the team’s sixth league victory this season.
However, it was not enough to get them out of the danger zone. They finished 15th on the log with 25 points from 30 matches.
Ngcolomba praised his players for their effort.
“Matta Milan had nothing to play for so I suspect they might have not prepared for the game as much as we did because this was a must-win game for us,” he said.
“It was a do-or-die game and I must appreciate my players for never giving up and fighting until the end of the season.”
Eastern Cape Safa provincial secretary Isaac Klaas described the results from the weekend as very interesting.
He said teams who had struggled throughout the season all of a sudden managed to win by big margins.
“This is a concern,” Klaas said. “How can we get such results in our last games while the whole season none of this happened?
“What contribution are these teams bringing to the league? Every season they are in the same position? “It’s upsetting, I tell you.” Meanwhile, Motherwell side Young Ideas have been relegated from the ABC League after a series of poor results throughout the season.
The last fixture of the season saw them draw 3-3 against Highbury in a Bay derby.
The deadlock marked the team’s eighth draw this season, having won only five games and losing 17 from 30 matches.
Ideas closed the season bottom on the log. – Additional reporting by Mkhululi Ndamase
Results:
FC Buffalo 2 Mighty Bucks 0, Highbury 3 Young Ideas 3, Morning Stars 13 Matta Milan 1, EC Bees 2 Future Tigers 0, WSU 1 Mthatha City 1, Matatiel Professionals 3 City Lads 0, Callies 0 Lion City 2, Subs (w/o) Tornado