‘Birds’ welcome back ‘12th man’
MBABANE – Capital city giants Mbabane Swallows have a major boost ahead of Sunday’s outing against Nsingizini Hotspurs as they will welcome back their ‘12th man’.
They have played their last games against Tambuti and Moneni Pirates behind closed doors, as part of a sentence handed down by the Eswatini Football Association (EFA) Disciplinary Committee, for causing mayhem during the 1-2 loss to rivals Mbabane Highlanders in December last year. Nsingizini, who are yet to record a win, this year, will welcome Swallows at King Sobhuza II Memorial Stadium in Nhlangano at 3:15pm.
They defeated Swallows 1-2 on Swallows’ backyard during their first round meeting. Swallows, who are fourth on the MTN Premier League charts, last played in front of their intimidating crowd during their first round’s last game against Madlenya almost three weeks ago.
Successive
Thereafter, they played two of their successive home games which were against Tambuti and Moneni Pirates in an empty stadium.
Swallows General Manager (GM) Sandile ‘Beyond 2000’ Zwane was elated to welcome back the fans, describing them as the main stakeholder.
He said the team played for and needed them for the weekend fixture.
“We’re happy to have them back and as the 12 man; we need their support
th following the first round result against Hotspurs.
The team is not used of playing without them and I would like to thank the entire team for ensuring that they played well without the fans and collected all the maximum points. Fans must come to cheer up the players,” said Zwane.
Meanwhile, he also thanked Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) and Nsingizini Hotspurs Chairman Derrick Shiba for their sportsmanship.
He said Shiba agreed to have the game played on Sunday instead of it being played on the same Saturday.
On this day, the club President Arch-Bishop Bheki Lukhele’s wife Mayibongwe Mthikhulu is expected to be laid to rest.
He added that a positive result will go a long way in consoling the bereaved club President.
He asserted that the journey to Nhlangano will start with wearing the team’s colours and attending the memorial service tomorrow as well as the funeral service.