Royal AM looking to cement top spot
EARLY season surprise package Royal AM will be looking to cement top spot on the Premiership standings as they host KwaZulu-Natal rivals Richards Bay at Chatsworth Stadium today.
Thwihli Thwahla went to the top of the league following their 2-1 win over Sekhukhune United last weekend, combined with Orlando Pirates’ surprise 1-0 defeat at the hands of Maritzburg United on Sunday.
The win for Royal AM against Sekhukhune was their second league victory on the trot as they recorded a win over Maritzburg two weeks ago.
There is no doubt that Dan Malesela’s Royal AM has exceeded the expectations of most people this season.
The team impressed last term, finishing third.
However, they had a close season filled with trouble as they lost last season’s top scorer Victor Letsoalo and their coach John Maduka.
In addition to this, the chief executive of the club, Sinky Mnisi, also went on “special leave” after controversially hosting a press conference in Johannesburg in his personal capacity, in spite of the fact that the club is based in KZN.
It appears that the duo of Andre de Jong and Mfundo Thikazi have stepped up to fill the void that was created by the departure of Letsoalo at Royal AM. The New Zealand international, whose signing from AmaZulu was viewed as a gamble, has so far scored three times in the league.
Meanwhile, it was Thikazi’s brace that earned the team their win over Sekhukhune.
However, Richards Bay promise to be no pushovers. They have, so far, held their own in their debut topflight
season.
They sit fifth in the league with 10 points from six games, which includes an impressive three wins. Richards Bay’s performances are quite admirable in the context of this being their debut top-flight season.
Their mandate for the campaign would have been to just avoid the drop but if they can continue at this rate, they should comfortably fend off relegation.
A win for Richards Bay could propel them into the top three, however brief it may be. Should Pitso Dladla’s team win the game, it will not only help them prove that they can compete against any side in the league but also be a major confidence boost as the club negotiates the rest of the season.
Confidence for the newbies, after all, will be vital if they hope to achieve consistency in the division.