Santos and Milano hoping for much-needed victories

SANTOS know the score ahead of their national First Division clash today (4.30pm kickoff) with city rivals FC Cape Town at the NNK Rugby Stadium.

The People’s Team have to pick up a point at the very least, while three would go a long way in easing their plight at the wrong end of the table.

With just two wins from 18 games, Santos find themselves in the drop zone, and with two teams set for the chop, the men from Lansdowne can ill-afford a negative outcome.

Town find themselves back in the bottom four after losing 2-1 to Stellenbosch FC last weekend.

But the Parow-based outfit have accumulated 21 points and are clear of relegation zone as things stand.

Santos goalkeeper Dino Visser believes his side has turned the corner.

“We’ve definitely been unlucky. We’ve lost games we could have won. No side we’ve played have dominated us, it’s been a case of things not going our way. That said, the boys never dropped their heads, they kept on plugging away and putting in the hard yards at practice knowing their day would come,” he said.

“And that came about last weekend against Milano United in a must-win derby encounter. We scored with five minutes left to play and netted three valuable points. Now we play another local rival on their turf and hopefully another positive result for us.

Visser signed up with Santos this season after previous stints with PSL sides Bloemfontein Celtic and Polokwane City. Former Ajax Cape Town striker-cum-defensive midfielder Ashley Hartog is another new recruit on a free transfer with plenty of top-flight experience, albeit that he’s well into his thirties. He’s a local boy who first made a name for himself with FC Cape Town, before going on to play in the PSL for SuperSport United and Maritzburg United.

Town coach Johnny Ferreira could not be reached for comment.

Milano, back in 13th place, tackle second-placed Royal Eagles at the Blue Downs Stadium today (3.30pm kickoff) and a win would help their cause immensely, especially after back- to- back defeats. Milano have only won five of 18 games, leaving the men from Grassy Park in danger of being relegated.