Is another Zimbabwe player headed for relegation?

Swazi Sports with Noel Munzabwa

IT might be early days yet in the 2019/ 20 MTN Premier League of Eswatini with almost a third of the season covered but for one Zimbabwe-born player, Ayanda Ncube and his Malanti Chiefs sit deeply in the murky waters of relegation.

With just three points from eight matches, Ncube’s Malanti Chiefs anchor the log standings with just three points on the board and most probably it will take a miraculous turn for the Piggs Peak-based outfit to survive relegation.

It may get even more gloomy for the Magwegwe North-bred former Bulawayo City star who remains winless, drawless, and pointless in the four matches he has played since receiving his international clearance certificate last month. And only on Saturday, Ncube passed an eleventh hour fitness test, having nursed a swollen ankle for the better part of the week but still it was not good enough to halt the free-fall as his team suffered a 1-2 defeat at the hands of Mbabane Highlanders.

However, the Zimbabwean remains hopeful.

“It has not been a good start to the season for us but we remain hopeful we will turn the corner. We need to work hard and focus on winning matches to save ourselves. It can only be done by us committing some extra effort to win matches,” said Ncube.

It would seem there’s no peace at all at Takesure Chiragwi’s Mhlume Peacemakers who dropped closer to the drop zone after a 1-2 defeat to Piggs Peak Black Swallows at Killarney Stadium in Piggs Peak on Sunday afternoon. Peacemakers are now fourth from the bottom, just two places below Tarisai Chingara’s Tambuti FC who managed a goalless draw against Manzini Sea Birds.

In the 2012/ 13 MTN Premier League of Eswatini season it was Marshal Machazane and Hloniphani Ndebele going down with Mbabane Highlanders joined by Ricky Sibiya’s Red Lions going down the relegation way.

Two seasons later Ndebele went down with Malanti Chiefs with Talent Maphosa relegated together with his Red Lions at the end of the 2017/ 18 season as the dreaded relegation stalked Zimbabwe-born  players.

@NoelMunzabwa