Mpheni Home Defenders lead with sizable margin
Taking into account their current performance, one can easily conclude that Mpheni is going back to the playoffs to try their luck for the second time after last year's failure to make it through to the next level.
Mpheni Home Defenders FC drew 0-0 against Giyani Happy Boys in a match played on their home ground on Saturday. However, this should have little impact on their top spot in the ABC Motsepe Stream A league as they lead by a sizable margin and can afford to make a few mistakes.
Mpheni lost 3-2 on penalties to Upington City in the ABC Motsepe League national playoffs in June last year, which crushed their chances to secure promotion to the Motsepe Foundation Championship, a league that is only one step away from the Premier Soccer League (PSL). This is also the league where teams begin to receive subsidies from the South African Football Association (SAFA) which helps club owners to pay players a decent wage.
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The team that posed a challenge for Mpheni FC at the beginning of the season, Emanuel FC, has seemingly bowed out. Emanuel now appears to be too weak to pose a threat, despite starting strong and retaining the top position for a few months before Mpheni FC surpassed them. To make matters worse, Vondwe Xi Bullets, a team presently occupying the third position in the league, appears to have the potential to unseat Emanuel from second place.
They are currently seven points behind Mpheni FC, who currently tops the league chart with 25 points from eleven games versus Emanuel’s 18 points from the same number of games. A win on Saturday by Mpheni could have seen them widen that gap by ten points. Unfortunately them the match ended in a 0-0 draw. Emanuel FC, on the other hand, also drew 1-1 with Maruleng Celtic, a team that is currently in position six in the league.
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Meanwhile, Vondwe Xi Bullets won 3-1 against Musina United on Saturday and bagged three points and now ties with Emanuel FC on points. When comparing the performances of the two teams, the only thing that still keeps Emanuel FC in second place is goal difference. This implies that if Emanuel loses or plays another draw in its next match, Vondwe Xi Bullets will overtake them. Other teams that played over the weekend were Winners Park and Madritas FC. The match ended 2-1 against Madritas FC.
