AmaZulu get last chance
AMAZULU’S Premier Soccer League status is on the line and tomorrow’s clash against the University of Pretoria could well decide their destiny.
So delicate is the issue of survival that AmaZulu chairman Patrick Sokhela made an appearance at training and greeted the players as they went through their paces.
Even he was keenly aware of the pressure the players are under and coach Steve Barker knows that it is the last-chance saloon for them.
“It boils down to that but mathematically we can still survive. If we lose and Swallows lose, we can still survive on the last day but in essence, the Tuks game is a must-win and we don’t have any options.
“We have run out of matches from where we can pick up points so we have got the six points to play for and we can’t afford to slip up,” Barker said.
“Before we played SuperSport, I told the players we needed to do a double over two teams, being SuperSport and Tuks. On Saturday, we failed in our first objective and now we have no option but to get the three points in Pretoria.”
AmaZulu will be without Mbulelo (OJ) Mabizela and Khulekani Madondo due to suspensions, while captain Robyn Johannes sat training due to injury. He will undergo a scan.
It is at this point in the season where arithmetic becomes very important and from that perspective, AmaZulu still have a slight chance of avoiding the axe altogether if results go their way.
But they need to stick to their objective, and that is something that has proven to be beyond their capabilities in the past two games.
Their crucial dip in form could also be attributed to the energy expended in their salvage campaign as it was going to catch up with them at some point in the season.
“I’ve done all the calculations and if Swallows lose both their games and we win ours, we’ll finish level on points and we’ll go ahead of them because of goal difference.
“Chippa [United] may have more points but they are in the same boat.”
Barker said that “if results do go our way, we end up saying we could have finished in 15th place. We have to do what we have to do and win football matches. It’s the biggest three days in the club’s history in a very long time.
“The suspensions are not ideal because those guys are big players for us, along with Robyn, and they have done well for us recently.”
Barker said that if the side won midweek and suspended Mabizela and injured Johannes come back fresh for Saturday’s match, their resting could work in the side’s favour.