adminNoel Munzabwa
. . ITa��S five points to the promised land for Mbabane Citizens coach Ikarbort Masocha as the race for the two premiership berths heats up.
A win over Bad Boys at Mavuso Sports Centre on Friday night and defeats to the chasing pack of Madlenya and Sea Birds could seal the deal for the Masocha-coached outfit.
And if that happens it will make the former Caps United assistant coach the third consecutive Zimbabwe-born coach to win promotion in three consecutive years after Tarisai Changara and Saul Chaminuka.
Changara won it in 2016 with Tambuti Football Club and Chaminuka clinched the berth with Matsapha United last season.
Despite missing home Masochaa��s focus is unfazed and will focus on his matches.
a�?We need to win that match and get a point from the two competing teams. If no one else can help us by beating our rivals, then we must just do it ourselves,a�? said Masocha.
The season has seen two Zimbabwean coaches take charge of Citizens with Masocha taking the pre-season and first four matches before being replaced by Herbert Marisa. The predecessor was to return to replace his successor.
Meanwhile, Matsapha Uniteda��s forward Zivai Verenga seems to have coined a #WhoWillStopZivai as he continues with his free scoring mode notching the opener as the premiership outfit sweated blood against a Super League outfit Zibonele Vultures at Killarney Stadium in Piggs Peak on Sunday.
This was in the on going SwaziBank Cup Round of 16 match which Matsapha United clinched on a lottery shoot-out 4-1 after a one all scoreline in regulation time.
So stubborn were the local super league outfit displaying a very minimal gulf between the Swazi football strata and with sheer extra brilliance could have stolen easy passage to the quarter-finals after matching the PSL outfit in all departments a�� field of play, goals and terraces but failed at the lottery stage.
Vultures, who knocked out Red Lions 2-1 in the opening round, really wanted it, in most cases running rings around the 2017 losing finalists encircling over the daya��s prey literally like the real life vultures replying to a Zivai Verenga 56th minute opener within five minutes when Mcolisi Lukhele seemed to have received an acceleration aiding from one of the defenders in the confusion cluster.
The equaliser literally swung what was initially a balanced affair right into the dominance of the Ntonjeni based outfit with Celucolo Siphepho dictating every piece of the puzzle, winning hearts among the neutrals and even Matsapha United fans but the Mhlabuhlangene was simply not that dead prey for the birds to prey on.
But after wilting off to the knock-out tournament heat, they allowed through to success four penalties from Matsapha United turned in by Dennis Yuki Masina, Sabelo Sawa Gamedze, Zivai Verenga and Vusumuzi Zungu leaving the fifth not necessary.
Goalkeeper Mxolisi Dlamini had stopped dead Mlungisi Ngwenyaa��s lottery before Man Of The Match Celucolo Siphepho resuscitated little hope with Vultures second but Mpendulo Dlamini was to play with the vultures up in the sky killing off any potential chance to win it.
Bongani Ndlovu