Birds move up pecking order with rare victory

Mzwakhe Ngwenya

The way Moroka Swallows players celebrated after their 1- 0 win over Maritzburg United last night could tell how long it has been without a victory for the side.

Any stranger watching the game could not be faulted if he thought they were the Absa Premeirship champions.

This win saw Swallows move to the 15th spot of the Premiership standings with 27 points.

AmaZulu have 24 points and they play this afternoon.

If they win, Swallows might be bottom of the table again. But the Dube Birds treasured their success against the Team of Choice. They hugged each other in small groups and some were just an inch away from crying.

Coach Craig Rosslee was seen punching the air and congratulating all his players after the final whistle. Swallows last win was in March at home to Free State Stars.

Since then, it has been a downward spiral for the Dube Birds as they have been languishing in the relegation quagmire for the greater part of the second round of the season.

They have changed coaches three times and current incumbent Craig Rosslee registered his first win in four games. His maiden game was a 1-0 loss to Chippa United and he drew against SuperSport United and University of Pretoria.

Felix Obada scored for Swallows at Dobsonville Stadium with a powerful header from a Shere Lekgothoane cross.

The home side dominated proceedings at the Soweto venue and exerted pressure on United from the onset. In their games against SuperSport and Tuks, Swallows squandered their leads which saw their opponents equalise.

Against Maritzburg they seem to have corrected this weakness held firm until the end.