The first round of the be-Mobile Premier League has already passed the half way mark and only a few games are left before it comes to an end, paving the way for what promises to be a grueling second round.
It is also not guaranteed that those teams that are currently on top of the league will end up as champions. Nevertheless, the teams that are currently leading on the log have shown serious intentions of challenging for the league honors.
To date, teams that are in the driving seat are Township Rollers, Extension Gunners, Nico United and Mochudi Centre Chiefs. Such teams have in their lineup a number of players whose scintillating performance can be attributed to their good showing. Such players are steering their teams’ great performance.
Some of these players are youngsters. Whether these excellent performers will soldier on to the very end remains to be seen.
At Township Rollers, the youthful duo of Simisani Mathumo and Phenyo Molefhe are making it happen. The youngsters, who have already earned themselves a place in the national under 20, have not disappointed to date.
Mathumo has been a lethal weapon on the right flank and regularly dishes out splitting crosses to Rollers’ striking force. His performance is like that of a mature player who has been playing in the elite league for years.
Other prominent performers for Rollers include goalkeeper, Kabelo Dambe, and striker Terrence Mandaza.
Dambe has in some cases been Rollers’ sole savior, scoring crucial goals and ensuring that Rollers wins games that would otherwise have not gone their way. The player, who is now in his second full season, is indeed destined for greater things.
Mandaza is already one of the league’s leading goal scorers and has been a constant headache to many defenders.
Gunners, on the other hand, have no one to thank but proven goal scorer, Bernard Simakwenzi. After enduring a two year frustrating spell at Township Rollers, Simakwenzi seems to have found his scoring boots at Extension Gunners.
Before this weekend’s match Simakwenzi was the leading goal scorer with nine goals under his belt. Seven of the goals were scored in two matches, the last being against Santos a fortnight ago where he banged in four goals. Simakwenzi’s sterling performance is, of course, aided by his combinations with Monametsi ‘Sunday’ Kelebale.
Usually, Kelebale plays behind Simakwenzi, providing him with piercing passes that make it easy for the lengthy striker to bang the goals in.
Nico United, on the other hand, started the league with a bang and topped the league standings for a few weeks. They still remain in the top four, thanks to the predatory instincts of Zimbabwean international, Tendai Ndoro, and Thobo ‘Fish’ Kgoboge.
Ndoro is in his debut season at Nico and he has so far proven that he means business. If left unchecked, Ndoro can score in almost every match. He looks to be a fierce contender for the green boot.
Another player who is making Nico tick is Kgoboge. The Palapye born lad has pace, skill and easily takes on the defenders. The reason Ndoro regularly scores is also because of Kgoboge. Kgoboge makes Ndoro’s job easier by doing all the dirty work.
Centre Chiefs are making silent moves to topple Rollers from the top of the log. Should Rollers make a mistake, Chiefs will capitalize and lead the log, provided they do not flop.
Centre Chiefs excellent performance has been all because of two lads who always make a difference regardless of the circumstances.
Dirang Moloi and Tshepho Motlhabankwe have been vital cogs in the midfield and the defense. Moloi is the team’s engineer and can play anywhere in the midfield, creating goals for the Centre Chiefs’ strike force to convert. Since the beginning of the league, Moloi has simply been outstanding. Should he maintain his sterling performance, he will undoubtedly be a candidate for the player of the season award.
Motlhabankwe on the other hand seems to have re-discovered his form and is once again knocking on the national team door. Centre Chiefs defense is unshakeable mainly because of Motlhabankwe with his no-nonsense and timely tackles.
