Relegation battle goes down to the wire

The battle to survive the dreaded axe in the Botswana Premier League (BPL) took another interesting turn this past weekend when Gilport Lions miraculously rose from the dead and kept their survival hopes alive. Lions defeated Prisons XI by a solitary goal on Saturday afternoon. A loss to Prisons XI would have seen them lose their status in the top-flight football with two remaining matches.

However, a solitary goal from Kagiso Selemela in the second half now means they can still avoid relegation if they win their remaining two matches and hope that other relegation candidates lose theirs.

Lions have now moved to position 14 with 19 points after languishing at the bottom of the log for quite sometime. However, they face a tough battle in the remaining encounters against Jwaneng Galaxy and BDF XI who are also aiming to finish in the respectable positions.

For Prisons XI, a victory against Gilport Lions would have effectively secured their status in the Premier League. They now need a victory against either Sua Flamingoes or BDF XI to stay clear of relegation. Meanwhile, Mahalapye Railways Highlanders are now sitting at the bottom of the league table with 19 points after their 1-0 loss to log leaders, Gaborone United (GU) on Saturday.

A solitary strike from left footed midfielder, Thero Setsile separated the two sides at the National Stadium. They now need a miracle in the remaining fixtures against Galaxy and Morupule Wanderers.

Notwane on the other hand also continued with their struggle when they lost 4-0 to Police XI, with their survival hopes now fading away. The sleeping Gaborone giants are still to play against title favourites, GU as well as Orapa United who are chasing a top four finish.

Mogoditshane Fighters missed an opportunity to stay clear of relegation this past weekend when they lost 4-1 to Sua Flamingoes.

Fighters are currently sitting at position 13 with 23 points with Security Systems and Masitaoka waiting for them.