Birds finally win one

SWALLOWS FC snapped a winless nine-match streak in the Premiership competition with a 1-0 victory over basement dwellers Black Leopards at the Dobsonville Stadium yesterday.

Swallows’ run included eight draws and a defeat, their only one for the season. The win saw Swallows move up two places to fourth, while Leopards stayed bottom.

In the opening 20 minutes, Leopards hardly looked like a side holding up the Premiership table and looked comfortable on the ball. They won the midfield battles and managed to thwart several Swallows attacks down the middle of the park.

With their midfield supremacy, Leopards’ attacking thrust was mainly down the central channels, but often they failed to find their front-runners.

Occasionally, Leopards’ attacks down the flanks proved penetrative as their defenders did well in their overlapping roles. After 20 minutes, Leopards had five shots at goal, but only one was on target.

Swallows, with 57% possession, were somewhat subdued on attack but around the 30th minute, they grabbed the initiative.

Their pressure earned them two corners in quick succession, but nothing came of the set-pieces which the Leopards defence cleared with ease.

By the time referee Xola Sitela blew the whistle for half-time, both sets of defences were intact, and the first half ended goalless.

After the break, Swallows were a changed side.

In the first 15 minutes of the half Swallows took the game by the scruff of the neck and bombarded Leopards’ defence. At least four scoring chances surfaced and Leopards goalkeeper Jonas Mendes bravely warded off the attacks.

He was brilliant with one effort when he headed the ball away safely to thwart a shot from point-blank range at a time when there was no time to use his arms.

But Swallows finally broke the stalemate when their Ghanaian striker Daniel Gozar scored from the penalty spot in the 61st minute.

For Swallows, it was a return to winning ways and an early birthday present for their coach Brandon Truter, who turns 44 today.