Times Of Swaziland: HOW ‘BIRDS’ FLEW AWAY WITH MTN LEAGUE 1ST ROUND AWARD! HOW ‘BIRDS’ FLEW AWAY WITH MTN LEAGUE 1ST ROUND AWARD! ================================================================================ BY LWAZI DLAMINI on 08/11/2017 04:34:00 It is becoming common these days to spot more Mbabane Swallows fans wearing the club jersey everywhere in the different walks of their lives – in shopping malls, watering holes and their respective places of employment especially on Fridays. I swear, I have seen an elderly gentleman, at a funeral, with a Mbabane Swallows jersey worn as a shirt and a jacket on top. This is a testament to the sense of pride and renewed sense of belonging that the Swallows supporters feel at this stage. The sense of belonging, ownership and camaraderie by Swallows supporters transcends the good times. It has a deeper meaning that affects people deeply. It forms part of the happiness index. There are lot of friendships and conversations whose only link and reason for existence were initiated and are sustained by the love of Mbabane Swallows Football Club. Lest we forget, people associate with a winning team. There are many theories on why Swallows have been a dominant force in recent times and why they have snatched the First round prize of E350 000 with a game to spare like they did last season. They range from the influence the club boss, Victor ‘Maradona’ Gamedze, who is also the head honcho of the Premier League of Swaziland (PLS), has in the football landscape, the perceived favouritism – one loud-mouthed coach recently said their dominance is based on unfair competition – and glaringly evident experienced players and management team they have, who have been together for the past two decades in which they have annexed 20 trophies. For a team on a history defining 34-league game unbeaten run which stretches back to May 15, 2016 when they lost 3-1 to eventual champions, Royal Leopard on the last day of the 2015/16 season, it is unimaginable if any team can achieve this feat – not even the dominant Mbabane Highlanders of the 1980’s and 1990’s.