There is no stemming the Gaborone United (GU) red tide, is there? A weekend ago, GU looked destined to face stiff competition from cross town rivals Township Rollers for the league title.
All that however changed in less than 24 hours. After Rollers suffered a 0 -1 defeat to Masitaoka on Saturday, GU seized the moment against Prisons XI in Lobatse on Sunday.
Buoyed by their close rivals faltering, an unchained GU hit seven unanswered goals past Prisons XI to underline its credentials as the number one title contenders.
The weekend win sees GU open a four-point gap between them and Rollers, albeit, with a game in point. It also goes to show the difference in quality between GU and all its competitors in the league, Rollers included.
If there was any doubt as to the quality of ammunition at GU’s disposal, the names on the score sheet against Prisons XI tells it all. Thatayaone Kgamanyane and Thero Setsile helped themselves to a brace each, while Onkabetse Makgantai, Mpho Kgaswane and debutant Ronel Monyanga hit one each.
Not surprisingly, both Kgamanyane and Setsile are contenders for the golden boot. Kgamanyane is currently leading the charts with 17 goals to his name, while Setsile is tied for third with 13 strikes of his own.
At the bottom of the league log, it was a case of one step forward and two step back for Notwane as they suffered a 0 – 1 defeat to fellow relegation fighters Mahalapye Railways Highlanders.
Going into the much-anticipated relegation dogfight on Sunday afternoon, Notwane was uncomfortably nestled just one point and one position above Highlanders. Following their loss, Notwane now sees itself two points and one position behind Highlanders, who now occupy 13th in the log standings.
With a minimum of 18 points still to fight for however, all the teams in the relegation fight still have their fate in their own hands as none of the teams from position 12 are not safe.
Meanwhile, there is still a battle looming for Top 8, more especially with the lucrative Mascom Top 8 tournament slated to return this coming season.
As with the relegation battle, it is open season in the midtable with as many teams still with an opportunity to make it in the Top 8 bracket when the season ends.
While teams like Sua Flamingoes in position 5 to Extension Gunners in position 9 look the best contenders to finish in the Top 8 bracket, other teams like Morupule Wanderers, Masitaoka and Prisons XI still have a mathematical chance of squeezing into the bracket.
