Mthatha Bucks are the EC Motsepe League 2014-15 champions after they beat Swartkops Valley United Brothers (Subs) 2-1 in Port Elizabeth yesterday.
At the same time Tornado’s dreams came crumbling down as they played to a goalless draw with Angavu Stars in an East London derby at North End Stadium.
However, the Mthatha side’s victory is subject to a pending protest lodged by Tornado in yesterday’s match.
Tornado’s chances of winning the protest will depend heavily on whether they followed the correct procedure in lodging the complaint but the match commissioner on the day could not immediately provide clarity on the matter.
As things stand, Bucks do not need to win any of the two remaining games as they are now on 71 points while second-placed Tornado, who also have two remaining games, are nine points behind. An excited Bucks team manager Doc Tukute said their victory in the taxing league campaign proved that hard work indeed pays.
Bucks have been the most consistent of the 17 clubs making up the provincial league, losing only one game of 30 played thus far. They will now be heading to the national playoffs with hopes of gaining promotion to the National First Division if they conquer all the other champions from South Africa’s other eight provinces.
The Daily Dispatch understands that the playoffs initially scheduled for Kimberley on July 20-26 may be moved to Port Elizabeth, a move that will bolster Bucks’ chances of gaining promotion.
Tukute said: “I am so excited right now that we are the 2014-15 champions. Ours really has been a season of perfect planning, good decisions and a professional setup in how we go about with our business on and off the field.
“What I however think worked wonders was restructuring the club early on before the end of the season and assembling the best technical team led by our experienced head coach Julius Dube and his assistant Mzunani Mgwigwi.”
Tukute said they were “more than ready” for the playoffs which if they win will make them the only Eastern Cape outfit campaigning in the NFD next season.
At North End, yesterday, the whole game was rather a one-sided affair with the Angavu Stars claiming a superior ball possession throughout.
However, there were no clear-cut goalscoring chances by either side in the opening half other than when Tornado’s top striker Thamsanqa “Mara” Moni missed a sitter inside the opposition’s penalty box midway into the opening stanza.
In fact, Moni’s overall performance on the day left much to be desired, a far cry from a man touted to be the best in the league.
The only thing that stood out in this derby was the distasteful sexist comments by sections of the supporters directed at Fifa-accredited female referee Akhona Makalima who performed her duties with aplomb.
Tornado were not their usual selves in the midfield with the absence of their anchorman Sifiso Siluma clearly visible as he started on the bench.
Going into the interval the two East London giants were deadlocked but immediately after the break, Angavu continued where they left off as Tornado’s defence started to crack.
This was evident when 15 minutes into the closing stanza, Angavu’s skilful attacking midfielder Sihle Masa fired a thunderous strike that forced the traveller’s number one – Sizwe Majola to pull a brilliant save. Masa was back hardly three minutes later but his header was denied by the crossbar.
In the dying minutes, Tornado sparked into life, launching vicious attacks on their opponents but the goal just could not come and the game ended in a stalemate, a result that handed the league to Bucks, the new owners.
Bucks clinch the title
At the same time Tornado’s dreams came crumbling down as they played to a goalless draw with Angavu Stars in an East London derby at North End Stadium.
However, the Mthatha side’s victory is subject to a pending protest lodged by Tornado in yesterday’s match.
Tornado’s chances of winning the protest will depend heavily on whether they followed the correct procedure in lodging the complaint but the match commissioner on the day could not immediately provide clarity on the matter.
As things stand, Bucks do not need to win any of the two remaining games as they are now on 71 points while second-placed Tornado, who also have two remaining games, are nine points behind. An excited Bucks team manager Doc Tukute said their victory in the taxing league campaign proved that hard work indeed pays.
Bucks have been the most consistent of the 17 clubs making up the provincial league, losing only one game of 30 played thus far. They will now be heading to the national playoffs with hopes of gaining promotion to the National First Division if they conquer all the other champions from South Africa’s other eight provinces.
The Daily Dispatch understands that the playoffs initially scheduled for Kimberley on July 20-26 may be moved to Port Elizabeth, a move that will bolster Bucks’ chances of gaining promotion.
Tukute said: “I am so excited right now that we are the 2014-15 champions. Ours really has been a season of perfect planning, good decisions and a professional setup in how we go about with our business on and off the field.
“What I however think worked wonders was restructuring the club early on before the end of the season and assembling the best technical team led by our experienced head coach Julius Dube and his assistant Mzunani Mgwigwi.”
Tukute said they were “more than ready” for the playoffs which if they win will make them the only Eastern Cape outfit campaigning in the NFD next season.
At North End, yesterday, the whole game was rather a one-sided affair with the Angavu Stars claiming a superior ball possession throughout.
However, there were no clear-cut goalscoring chances by either side in the opening half other than when Tornado’s top striker Thamsanqa “Mara” Moni missed a sitter inside the opposition’s penalty box midway into the opening stanza.
In fact, Moni’s overall performance on the day left much to be desired, a far cry from a man touted to be the best in the league.
The only thing that stood out in this derby was the distasteful sexist comments by sections of the supporters directed at Fifa-accredited female referee Akhona Makalima who performed her duties with aplomb.
Tornado were not their usual selves in the midfield with the absence of their anchorman Sifiso Siluma clearly visible as he started on the bench.
Going into the interval the two East London giants were deadlocked but immediately after the break, Angavu continued where they left off as Tornado’s defence started to crack.
This was evident when 15 minutes into the closing stanza, Angavu’s skilful attacking midfielder Sihle Masa fired a thunderous strike that forced the traveller’s number one – Sizwe Majola to pull a brilliant save. Masa was back hardly three minutes later but his header was denied by the crossbar.
In the dying minutes, Tornado sparked into life, launching vicious attacks on their opponents but the goal just could not come and the game ended in a stalemate, a result that handed the league to Bucks, the new owners.
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