With Mthatha Bucks all set to play their do-or-die National First Division fixture against Jomo Cosmos at the Mthatha Stadium this afternoon, their leading goalscorer, Mpho Erasmus, believes the players must fight for each other if they are to survive relegation.
Bucks have 21 points from 27 games and nothing short of three points will suffice against the high-flying Cosmos, who are lying third with 43 points from the same number of games.
Bucks’ chances of survival will also depend on how Richards Bay and Uthongathi – both on 28 points – perform in their respective fixtures.
If these teams manage to get maximum points from their fixtures, it will be impossible for Bucks to have any chance of catching up, or ever leaving the basement of the table, bearing in mind there’s only three matches left in the 2017-18 season.
“We are playing at home and that gives us more reason to win against Cosmos, so that we can keep our hopes alive.
“Especially if the two teams above us drop points,” said Erasmus. “Should that happen, we would then be able to breathe a bit because youl never know what might happen.
“This is football at the end of the day.
“We might be down but we are not out until the fat lady sings,” he said.
“We just need to keep our hopes up and we can only do that if we win this game or else we’re out of the league, regardless of how other teams play.
“I admit we have been under a lot of pressure this week, but then in football there’s always pressure.
“Whether you are at number one or number 16 there is always pressure. If you are in eighth position you are fighting for the playoffs .
“So pressure will always be there, but we have a great coach now in Julius ‘JD’ Dube.”
Erasmus said the entire team had full confidence in Dube who helped Bucks gain promotion to the NFD three seasons ago.
“Coach JD has got a broader understanding of the team and he knows a lot of the players in the squad.
“That was evident in his first game because we played very well in drawing 2-2 against Richards Bay. We just have to continue working hard and stay focused.
“We just need to fight for each other during this game because the situation tells us that we need to be there for one another.
“Working together is the only way out of this situation,” he said.
Erasmus said he never imagined he would be playing a do-or-die match at this juncture, as they were third on the log-standings after five games at the beginning of the season. “I thought we’d be at number one this time and I tried to help the team. I have 11 goals now.
“It’s not easy scoring while the teams loses every time, but even now I haven’t given up on working for the team.
“I’m from this province and I know how hard it is to have a team playing in the NFD.”
Jomo Cosmos owner and head coach Jomo Sono anticipated a tough time in Mthatha, as both teams have something to fight for.
“It’s going to be a very tough game because the stakes are high.
“They are playing for survival at the bottom so it’s going to be a very interesting game to see.”
Sono said five of his regular players won’t be playing including Tebogo Makobela.
“We won’t have our regular frontline we’ll be playing with a new front line but we have prepared well for this game.
“I’m not going there with the mentality that we are going to bury them, because we need the three points and they need the three points as well.”
Bucks have to go for the jugula
Bucks have 21 points from 27 games and nothing short of three points will suffice against the high-flying Cosmos, who are lying third with 43 points from the same number of games.
Bucks’ chances of survival will also depend on how Richards Bay and Uthongathi – both on 28 points – perform in their respective fixtures.
If these teams manage to get maximum points from their fixtures, it will be impossible for Bucks to have any chance of catching up, or ever leaving the basement of the table, bearing in mind there’s only three matches left in the 2017-18 season.
“We are playing at home and that gives us more reason to win against Cosmos, so that we can keep our hopes alive.
“Especially if the two teams above us drop points,” said Erasmus. “Should that happen, we would then be able to breathe a bit because youl never know what might happen.
“This is football at the end of the day.
“We might be down but we are not out until the fat lady sings,” he said.
“We just need to keep our hopes up and we can only do that if we win this game or else we’re out of the league, regardless of how other teams play.
“I admit we have been under a lot of pressure this week, but then in football there’s always pressure.
“Whether you are at number one or number 16 there is always pressure. If you are in eighth position you are fighting for the playoffs .
“So pressure will always be there, but we have a great coach now in Julius ‘JD’ Dube.”
Erasmus said the entire team had full confidence in Dube who helped Bucks gain promotion to the NFD three seasons ago.
“Coach JD has got a broader understanding of the team and he knows a lot of the players in the squad.
“That was evident in his first game because we played very well in drawing 2-2 against Richards Bay. We just have to continue working hard and stay focused.
“We just need to fight for each other during this game because the situation tells us that we need to be there for one another.
“Working together is the only way out of this situation,” he said.
Erasmus said he never imagined he would be playing a do-or-die match at this juncture, as they were third on the log-standings after five games at the beginning of the season. “I thought we’d be at number one this time and I tried to help the team. I have 11 goals now.
“It’s not easy scoring while the teams loses every time, but even now I haven’t given up on working for the team.
“I’m from this province and I know how hard it is to have a team playing in the NFD.”
Jomo Cosmos owner and head coach Jomo Sono anticipated a tough time in Mthatha, as both teams have something to fight for.
“It’s going to be a very tough game because the stakes are high.
“They are playing for survival at the bottom so it’s going to be a very interesting game to see.”
Sono said five of his regular players won’t be playing including Tebogo Makobela.
“We won’t have our regular frontline we’ll be playing with a new front line but we have prepared well for this game.
“I’m not going there with the mentality that we are going to bury them, because we need the three points and they need the three points as well.”
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