BLOEMFONTEIN: The battle lines are drawn in the first eagerly awaited Premiership local derby between Bloemfontein football clubs: the Marumo Gallants and Siwelele FC. The super-charged fixture is scheduled for Sunday, 28 September, at the Dr R.P. Molemela Stadium.
It will mark the beginning of a battle for derby bragging rights. This will be the first round of the derby, with the return leg to be staged at the same venue next year. Both teams will be looking for improved performances, considering they have each recorded just one win at this venue.
The Siwelele lads’ win was 3 − 1 against the Lamtonville Golden Arrows, while the Gallants celebrated a 2 − 1 victory over the Orlando Pirates. Siwelele played to a 0 − 0 draw with Richards Bay FC in the second fixture here, while the Bahlabane ba Ntwa shared the spoils with Polokwane City and Mamelodi Sundowns, playing them 1 − 1, respectively.
Siwelele is under immense pressure to try and turn their misfortunes around after losing five matches in a row. The losing streak includes 0-1 defeat by Pirates on Tuesday, – September in the Toyota Stadium. The club’s continued lacklustre run saw a shake-up, with the announcement of the sacking of Stan Mathews and assistant coach Andre Arendse on Sunday, 21 September. These drastic changes followed the club’s 0 − 2 defeat by Durban City on 16 September.
Lehlohonolo Seema remains the head coach of Siwelele and will be working with Willem Jackson as assistant coach. Both played for the now defunct Bloemfontein Celtic during the tenure of the late Dr Rantlai Petrus “Whitehead” Molemela.
Le John, chairman of the Siwelele FC, stated the shake-up was necessary to strengthen the team and find stability. In addition, he pointed out that players who did not perform to their full potential will have their contracts terminated and be replaced with at least five or six players. The transfer window closed on Monday, 22 September.
The Gallants are inspired by their current performance, which saw them hold off the Premiership defending champions, Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs on Wednesday, 24 September. The Bahlabane ba Ntwa, fought back to force a 1-all draw in this match in which captain Washington Arubi saved a penalty.
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