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WANDERERS FLOUNDER

05/04/2022 08:24:00 Machawe Fakudze

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MBABANE – The MTN Premier League staged its 19th week of the season, where we saw shocking results in the set of games which produced 17 goals.

Tinyosi denied Mbabane Highlanders a chance to stretch their lead on top of the log as they held them to a goal-less draw. Denver Sundowns added to Manzini Wanderers’ woes, as they beat them 1-0 in a Manzini derby played on Saturday at Mavuso Sports Centre. Here are eight things you might have missed during the games.

Highlanders new striker’s first game
It was really nice to see the new former TS Galaxy striker Tshepo Chaine in action in Mbabane Highlanders colours. For a debut game, we would say he played quite well. His first touch and final pass was always spot-on. We can only expect more from him with the forthcoming games. We did note that they combined well with Sabelo ‘Sikhali’ Ndzinisa.

Mavuso floodlights failure
We thought floodlights failure were a thing of the past, but this past Saturday in a game pitting Manzini Wanderers and Denver Sundowns; a game had to be stopped for close to ten minutes due to the floodlights mechanical fault. At first, there was only one which seemed to be working. After a while, the four floodlights beamed and the game continued until the final whistle. However, the fact that the game had to be stopped by referee Letticia Viana for a good ten minutes or more, says a lot about the state of our stadiums as a country. Imagine if this had happened say during a CAF match, it would have been a disaster, no wonder it does not meet CAF standards and these floodlights failure was probably one of them.

Swallows’ 4-0 revenge
It was one New Year’s Day when Mbabane Swallows lost 2-1 to rookies Rangers at King Sobhuza II Memorial Stadium. That game alone caused drama in the Capital Giants side, as the team’s fans bayed for blood of the then head coach Christopher Ennin. This led to the coach resigning, citing security concerns. Fast forward to this past Sunday where Swallows effortlessly brushed aside Rangers without two of their experienced players in Felix Badenhorst and Tony Tsabedze, who were out due to injuries. Wonder ‘Samba Jive’ Nhleko, inspired the young boys to the win, scoring a penalty. It was a good sight to behold, seeing Swallows playing like the team which went on to make history in the CAF competitions. ‘Samba Jive’ scored a penalty and experienced player Njabulo ‘D4D’ Ndlovu, also came in handy when he scored the fourth goal from the penalty spot.

Mkhweli, ‘Papi’ watch former team
It was an interesting match as Mbabane Highlanders’duo Sanele Mkhweli and Xolani ‘Papi’Sikhondze watched their former team, Mbabane Swallows in action against Rangers. We are not suggesting anything, but it was nice to see them interacting with Swallows officials alike during the game. While it is true that players do watch other teams play, these two in particular seemed to enjoy the game, or were they spying on Swallows or it was a way to relax as their team had played the day before. Mkhweli was not part of the team that played to a goal-less draw against Tinyosi, while ‘Papi’ featured in the first eleven.

Artwell’s perfect birthday gift
We learnt after the game that the famous 1-0 win by Denver Sundowns against Manzini Wanderers was a perfect gift for Sundowns assistant Coach Artwell Dludlu. It was the assistant coach’s birthday, what a perfect gift; his team dedicating the win to him in honour of his day.The victory was sweeter for Dludlu’s team because it was revenge, since they lost 0-2 in the first round to Wanderers.

Buffaloes’ new kit
Young Buffaloes turned up for the MTN Premier League match against Vovovo in an unusual orange kit. The Sabelo Mnisi-led side was not wearing their normal kit which is the maroon and gold, you could mistake them to former elite league side Mbabane City from afar. Congratulations, asakhulile amathole ezinyathi!

Killarney stands need to be fixed
The owners of the Killarney Sports Ground need to fix the stands, especially those located on the left, as the chip boards are now rotten and they could cause severe injuries to spectators. It is too risky to walk on the top of the chip boards, let alone sit on them.

Foreign substance next to dressing rooms
The dressing rooms at Killarney Sports Ground were littered with broken eggs. The use of foreign substances in local football is believed to bring winning charms to the teams; however, this is not good as it leaves the sports ground littered with substances that need to be collected by the ground men. Teams should desist from using such at playing venues, since some fans would come with their children to watch their teams.

Star player of the week
Njabulo ‘D4D’ Ndlovu
He was a marvel to watch in the middle of the park as he started moves, making those one, two exchange passes and unleashing those defence freezing passes. He capped his brilliant display by scoring the fourth goal for Mbabane through a penalty spot. This is the ‘D4D’ we know, if he could be consistent, he could get a call up in the national team again.

Did you notice?
Malanti Chiefs suffered the biggest loss in ‘WEEK 19’ with the 5-1 humiliation by Manzini Sea Birds.
Rangers also suffered a big loss as they were bashed by Mbabane Swallows 4-0.
Manzini Wanderers have gone ten games without a win in their last games, which is a concern as they are now four points above the relegation zone.