Township Rollers coach, Mark Harrison was left to rue his team’s lack of finishing finesse as they were held to a goalless draw by Jwaneng Galaxy this past Sunday.
With Orapa United having pulled level on points following their win against Gaborone United the previous day, the onus was on Rollers to increase their lead; but that was not to be. Though they bossed proceedings for almost the entire game, Rollers dismally failed to make it count as they were frustrated by Galaxy’s plucky performance. The tone for the game was set early on in the first half as both teams cancelled each other out, much to the chagrin of their supporters who had filled the Galaxy Stadium. While the first half was a dreadful affair between the two sides, Rollers came to life in the second half, cornering their opponents in their half but with no result.
“I thought we totally dominated the game from start to finish in the second half. They rarely got into our half, may be four or five times. We did not really create enough and we didn’t even bother to finish the opportunities we created,” the Rollers gaffer explained. Even though Rollers’ keeper Kabelo Dambe was reduced to a spectator as his team pinned hosts Jwaneng Galaxy into their half, Harrison’s charges were a shadow of their swashbuckling self as they rarely troubled Anthony Gouws. Even when they did get past the stubborn Galaxy defence expertly manned by Moreetsi Mosimanyana and company, Rollers’ could not muster more shots on target as their strikes went wayward. The only realistic opportunity for Rollers came midway through the second half when Sekhana Koko found himself one on one with Gouws after escaping the attentions of the Galaxy defense. The experienced winger however could not make it count as he shot tamely into the hands of the Galaxy goalkeeper.
“Nandos (Sekhana Koko) had the best chance of the game and he gave a back pass to the goalkeeper. He should have finished it, we would have won the game 1 ÔÇô 0 and taken the three points, but we lost that opportunity; we dropped two points and it is disappointing,” Harrison continued.
The draw means Rollers are now just a point ahead of fellow title chasers Orapa United. Despite the chasing pack now heavily breathing on their neck, Harrison said they are not feeling any pressure as there are still twelve games left to play and his team is ahead, albeit with a single point. Meanwhile, Galaxy coach Philani Mabena has welcomed the draw with Rollers in what he described as a hard fought draw between the two teams. Going forth, the Galaxy coach says the objective is to survive relegation and ‘keep the team in the Premiership.’ “If we can do this with three or four games to go, then we can push for Top 8,” Mabena concluded.
