Thursday, February 13, 2025

VTM thrash Black Rangers to keep pace with the Top four

Senatla Molefhe scored four goals on Saturday as VTM football club thrashed Black Rangers 5 – 1 to resume their Debswana First Division South (DFDS) 2022 / 23 league campaign on a high.

It was a welcome win for coach Nelson Olebile’s team which has struggled in front of goal of late. It was also a good morale boosting win as the team prepares for much sterner test in the coming weeks. The team’s next league assignment will be against the high riding Mochudi Centre Chiefs.

Ahead of the game, which was VTM FC’s eighth of the season, the team had only managed eight goals. Three of those had come during the team’s third game of the season when it edged off Tlokweng United 3 – 2 at Tlokweng VDC grounds.

Thereafter, the team’s form in front of goal slumped as it managed to score only two goals in four matches leading to the holiday break. The significance of the team’s goals against Rangers over the weekend was not lost to Olebile and was his major talking point in his post-match interviews.

Talking to the press after the game, the VTM FC head coach hinted that the return to scoring form was his highlight of the game. As much as he was happy with the display, he admitted his main concern had been the team’s goal drought in the four games leading to the clash with Rangers.

The win would have also come as a relief for the team which has found the going tough since gaining promotion to the DFDS.  After eight games, VTM has won three (3), drawn four (4) and lost one (1) game.

For Rangers, losing to VTM FC was a blow. The Tsabong based outfit is yet to register a win in the league. The team is currently languishing at the bottom of the DFDS league log with two (draws) and six (6) losses from eight games.

Meanwhile, Centre Chiefs narrowly beat Young Stars football club 1 – 0 to keep their promotion hopes alive. The win helped the Kgatleng outfit to leapfrog Matebele Football Club. Magosi is now perched on position two (2) in the DFDS league log, just two points behind first placed Crack It City Polar.

Buoyed by the recent positive vibes around the club, Centre Chiefs under the guidance of Daniel Chicco Nare will be the team to watch. Of late, Magosi seems to be doing well off the pitch, something which is also reflected by the results.

Elsewhere, Crack It City Polar continued its good start to the season with a 2 – 1 win over Union Flamengo Santos. City Polar remains the only team yet to lose a match in the DFDS this season. Of the eight games played this season, the team has won five (5) and drawn three (3). It is currently sitting tight at the top of the DFDS log with 18 points, just two ahead of Centre Chiefs.

Still with DFDS, Matebele FC dropped to third position in the league standings after being held to a 1 all draw by Tlokweng United. They are now a point behind Centre Chiefs. Closely on the coattail of Matebele sits Notwane on position four in the log. Sechaba, as Notwane is affectionately known, beat Broadhurst United 2 – 0 over the weekend to keep their promotion hopes alive. With the weekend results, things are definitely heating up in the DFDS with just five points separating the top 5 teams in the league. It will be interesting to see how things shape up in the coming weeks given the ambition and the quality of all the five teams at the top.

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