With one foot hovering in the Premier League, Holy Ghost can complete the ascension on Saturday when they host second-placed Mochudi Centre Chiefs.
Seeking a spot in the top flight for the first time in their 13-year history, the Mmopane outfit have been flying this season, opening up a five-point advantage over their more established rivals with just three games to go.
Should they win at the weekend, Oupa Kowa’s troops would be assured a place in the promised land of local football; draw and their progression would be put on hold for another week.
Lose, however, and things get very interesting!
For the ever-improving Chiefs, the equation is simple: they must come out all guns blazing if they are to keep their hopes of automatic promotion burning.
Seeking a return to the elite division after their relegation in 2019, victory for Magosi would cut the gap to two points and all the momentum would be theirs going into the final two games.
Adding to the excitement, the four-time BPL champions know defeat could be disastrous, with URI Blackforest two points behind and poised to pounce on any slip-ups in the race for second-place and the play-offs.
Blackforest, who came down with Chiefs, take on Red Sparks this weekend and will be confident of collecting maximum points.
Speaking to Voice Sport on Wednesday, Holy Ghost gaffer, Kowa said his troops would mix caution with aggression.
“We are going to approach this encounter with a positive mind-set as we could cross the line if we get the maximum points but we are wary of how Chiefs have been playing. They are not easy to play with hence we are going to tread carefully in order to achieve our biggest aim,” said Kowa, whose side was held to a 0-0 draw against in-form Matebele FC at the weekend.
Attempting to play down the importance of Saturday’s top of the table clash, which pits Debswana First Division South’s best defences against each other – between them, the two sides have conceded just 16 times in 38 outings! – the experienced tactician concluded, “Like I said previously, I am confident that we are going all the way even if it is not this Saturday, we will eventually get the top honours.”
His opposite number, Thatayaone Tebele, maintained their was still much to play for, with Chiefs still eying the title.
“Our aim is automatic promotion to the elite league thus we are targeting a win at Holy Ghost which would greatly boost our chances as anything can happen in the last two matches. Holy Ghost is a difficult side to play against as they build from the back but our morale is high going into this fixture,” declared Tebele, whose team romped to victory in the Mochudi derby last time out, brushing aside Mochudi Rovers 3-0; they are likely to find the Ghosts much harder to exorcize!
