Wounded ‘Mapantsula’ take on a high flying Galaxy
Relegation threatened Extension Gunners’ problems could be further compounded this week when they come up against a high-flying Jwaneng Galaxy on Saturday.
Philemon Makwengwe’s side has only two wins to their name after 10 rounds of matches, and are currently occupying a precarious 15th spot in the Botswana Football League (BFL) table, three points above debutantes Holy Ghost.
Gunners have amassed a paltry seven points from a possible 30, and have lost six consecutive matches.
Unbeaten this season, Galaxy are fresh from a hard-fought 1-all draw against log leaders and defending Champions Gaborone United. Only two points separate the diamond mining town outfit from the Gaborone giants.
Gunners however goes into the match on the back of a disappointing 1-0 loss to Masitaoka FC, to face a team with one eye on the league and another on CAF Champions League. This could be a tall order for the bruised Mapantsula.
In an interview with Voice Sport this week, Gunners tactician, Makwengwe said despite a string of bad result, they’ll still go into the weekend fixture with a positive mindset.
“It has been a while since our last victory. It’d be such a sweet relief should we defeat Galaxy,” said a concerned Makwengwe.
Mapantsula last won at the start of November last year, registering back to back victories, a 2-0 and 1-0 win against debutantes Eleven Angels and Holy Ghost respectively.
A fiery Makwengwe has pointed an accusing finger at some members of the previous committee for interfering with the running of the team. He said while players’ welfare is a serious concern, there’s also sabotage from key figures in the Gunners family.
“People who should be fighting in our corner are now using privileged information and passing it to our opponents,” charged Makwengwe.
The Phil, as he’s known further told Voice Sport that poor player welfare and in-fighting are the team’s major challenges.
“Some former Exco members explicitly said unless they are reinstated, Gunners will not win any game. They have teamed up rowdy people who attend all our matches to insult players,” claimed Makwengwe.
A concerned Makwengwe said although there are a number of players interested in playing for the team, they’re deterred by the club’s financial doldrums.
“We’ve nothing to offer them except an opportunity to play,” he said.
His opposing number, Morena Ramoreboli said he was happy with the fighting spirit shown by his team who clawed their way back to force a draw against GU, after falling behind early in the first half.
He said they’ve to be at their best every week especially with Township Rollers and Orapa United in hot pursuit.
“We also know that the most difficult match that you can play in a game of football is against a relegation threatened team because they may be bring something totally different,” he said
“We know that they are going to defend deep and block our channels, but we’ll fight hard and make sure that we get the result. There is pressure because of the caliber of clubs behind us, so any slip -up, can mean we’re out of the top four,” warned Ramoreboli.
