Y’ELLO DRAB DRAWS!

LOBAMBA – Y’ello Sunday drab draws!

One goal each in the first half in a tense Mbabane Highlanders versus Green Mamba clash, a mini players scuffle in the next game between Manzini Wanderers and Mbabane Swallows and most importantly, quick intervention by a police caspir ending what potentially could have escalated into bloodshed in the Manzini Wanderers grand-stand, characterised Week 16 of the gruelling MTN league games here yesterday.

Worshipping

In the end, the over 5 000 souls worshipping on the altar of football must have left the stadium feeling like, at best, they had an overdose on Fanta Grape and Niknaks or at worst, spending an afternoon at a dentist’s chair would have been a better option. On a distinctively searing hot Sunday afternoon, the football – in both games – was dreary, no inventive play, very few shots on target or chances created but some excellent goalkeeping were on display. Mbabane Highlanders goal-minder Mxolisi Dlamini made two brilliant saves in the last stanza to ensure the ‘Black Bull’ gained a point as they recorded their 10th draw of an underwhelming league season.

The second match failed to live up to its pre-match billing with more excitement probably coming off the field. Swallows kit manager Isaac Dlamini stole the limelight when he was red-carded by referee Thembinkosi Dlamini for pouring some watery substance at his own goalkeeper, Sandanezwe Mathabela’s goal-post in the final minutes of the game. This happened just a few minutes after Wanderers fans were involved in a skirmish with police officers on the Southern grandstand which needed a police caspir to come in and stop the pandemonium from escalating into a full-blown violent scenes.

Before then Swallows frustrated captain Tony ‘TT’ Tsabedze found himself in the centre of a scuffle with Wanderers players after he had been fouled by Sicelo ‘Junior’ Simelane. Referee Thembinkosi Dlamini had to work over-time in bringing under control the flaring tempers of the prickly encounter, which failed to produce any goals. The biggest winners, once again, were table topping army side Young Buffaloes who are now eight points clear at the summit of the log with 10 games remaining after their 2-0 win over a hard fighting Milling Hotspurs at King Sobhuza II Memorial Stadium in Nhlangano on Saturday.

With focus sharply turning to the semi-final draw of the Ingwenyama Cup this morning, the MTN League title race, in particular, is without any shadow of doubt snowballing into a one horse canter as nearest challengers Mbabane Swallows’ powder-puff performances have left them not only eight points behind but now without a win in five games in all competitions.

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