‘We will fight to the death’
Pirates, Supersport are among Maritzburg’s remaining opponents
MARITZBURG United will fight to the death to avoid relegation.
The Team of Choice are at the foot of the table with 17 points after 23 games.
They have seven games to consolidate their Premier Soccer League (PSL) status.
Maritzburg lost 2-1 against Mamelodi Sundowns on Tuesday at Harry Gwala Stadium in Pietermaritzburg.
The Team of Choice coach, Eric Tinkler, said he won’t give up.
“There will always be hope as long as I’m here and also the club. The people at the club they believe we can still do it. They have done it before. Let us not forget that. They have done it before.
“Funny enough they were exactly on the same number of points at that time and they avoided relegation. They reckon we will do the same,” Tinkler said.
The Team of Choice survived relegation on the last day of the 2016/17 season under the leadership of German tactician Ernst Middendorp.
“Hopefully, we won’t need to go into the last game to avoid relegation. But if we have to, we have to. We’ve got to plan for any eventuality. The only thing we can’t plan for is where we will be next season. Even if it is play-off, we have to fight to the death. Mathematically, it is still possible.
“Other teams around us have tough fixtures. We have to fight and keep going. That’s how I see it, not thinking about upcoming games against Orlando Pirates and Baroka FC. I’m not thinking about the end of the season but I’m thinking about the next one. Let us keep closing that gap,” he added.
Maritzburg will face Bloemfontein Celtic, Highlands Park, Orlando Pirates, Black Leopards, SuperSport United and Baroka FC in their last seven games of the season.
“Two wins in a row changes your fate. We need three points. The game against Kaizer Chiefs was also an opportunity missed.
“That’s the situation we are facing; we’ve got to go out and get points against the likes of Sundowns and Chiefs. Normally, you will say a point is fantastic (against these sides) but we now need three. We need to get into the winning streak,” the former Pirates and Supersport coach said.