BLOEMFONTEIN: Enthusiastic football fans in Bloemfontein are guaranteed a double dose of enthralling action this weekend of 29 to 31 August when four top-tier Premier Soccer League (PSL) teams clash at the Dr RP Molemela Stadium. These matches will mark the second official fixture in Bloemfontein for the two hosting clubs: Siwelele FC and the Marumo Gallants.
The first dose of the two-day football fever sees the new yet experienced Siwelele outfit in action against the visitors, Richards Bay FC. Kick-off is at 19:30. The excitement continues on Sunday when the Gallants tussle Polokwane City. Kick-off is scheduled at 15:00.
In previous matches, passionate local fans came in large numbers to spur the hosting clubs to victories at this Bloemfontein powerhouse. They inspired Siwelele to a convincing 3-1 win over the Lamontville Golden Arrows on 9 August and the Gallants to record an emphatic 2-1 win over Orlando Pirates three days later. It was the second win of the Bahlabane ba Ntwa in the new PSL season under the guidance of youthful coach Alexander Lafitte. The Frenchman’s first taste of victory was a hard-fought 2-1 win against Bay.
It will be a different ball game as the two hosting clubs are seeking redemption for losses by trying to improve their standings in the league. The respective hosting teams’ head coaches, Lehlohonolo Seema of Siwelele and Lafitte of Marumo, are under pressure to turn around their misfortunes, chiefly to improve their standings on the league table.
On Wednesday, the Seema-led Siwelele suffered their third successive defeat of 0-2 at the hands of improving TS Galaxy. The other two losses by a narrow margin of 0-1 were against Durban City and Orbit Colleges, respectively. The Gallants’ two defeats were against AmaZulu and Stellenbosch**, 0-1** respectively.
The Frenchman led his warriors of the Bahlabane ba Ntwa to record two important wins over teams guided by more experienced coaches. Lafitte’s first win was away (2-1) against Richards Bay. In this match his team finished the game with one man down after captain Edgar Manaka was red-carded. They went on to record a second win against the Buccaneers, having fought from the back foot of the game to clinch the win. Both the Gallants and Siwelele lacked cohesion in the matches they lost.
The two visiting teams, Bay and Polokwane City are confident about the prospects of steadily improving their standings following their good results on Wednesday. Bay beat struggling Chippa United 1-0 while City drew with Durban City.
