Leopards target another play-off

Shivambu wants win in derby away from home

Black Leopards hope to build on Wednesday’s 1-0 win against Ajax Cape Town when they trade blows with fellow Venda outfit Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM) in their second promotion play-offs clash at Bidvest Stadium tomorrow (3pm).

After beating Ajax, thanks to Mwape Musonda’s solitary strike, Leopards are at the summit of the mini-league table with three points, level with the Urban Warriors, who have an inferior goal difference, having played two games. TTM are bottom and yet to register a point after they lost 3-2 to Ajax on Sunday.

Leopards co-interim coach Morgan Shivambu has outlined the importance of winning against Tshakhuma tomorrow, feeling that would lessen the pressure on their shoulders. Leopards have had luck in this round-robin tournament in the past. They clinched the 2010/11 and 2017/18 editions.

“It’s very important to win your first game, you get [your] first three points. And second games, obviously, you’ve got to manage it and get another three points. That’s six points. So if you can check, Ajax also have three points. That means we must win against TTM,” said Shivambu.

“TTM are a good team and it’s a derby away from home. We will be ready for war. We want nothing less than a win. If we get a win, it is going to be easy for us in the last two games. We don’t want to wait for favours from one of these teams [TTM or Ajax].”

Shivambu, who’s a co-coach with Mongezi Bobe, also explained what he thinks sets them, as a top-flight side, apart from Ajax and TTM, the teams from the GladAfrica Championship. The Lidoda Duvha trainer stopped short of saying the second-tier teams are fitter than them, but highlighted that they are not as lethal in front of goal.

“GladAfrica teams can run the whole 90 minutes. If you can check the way we scored against Ajax, it was our first real chance … while they had about five chances but did not convert and that’s the difference,” said Shivambu.