19 November – Goals, drama and vociferous fans, the South African Football Association’s (SAFA) intriguing third tier ABC Motsepe League has delivered all of the above and more, none more so than in the popular Gauteng edition.
This past weekend proved to be yet another interesting set of matches as teams jostled for top four spots while others aimed to stave of relegation.
Friday (16th November) afternoon’s lone fixture saw 2nd placed Dube Continental FC hold on to their spot with a hard-fought 1-0 home win against a determined African All Stars FC at Nike Centre, to leave the visitors in 8th spot.
The remaining seven games were all scheduled for Saturday the 17th, the first of which saw Pretoria Callies edging Remember Elite Sports Academy 1-0 in another away win at Ulusha Elite Sport Centre. The game was a tense affair and could have gone either way before the visitors snatched the winner. The result leaves the home club stranded in last position with a goal difference of -15.
Alexandra Black Aces FC and Pele Pele FC then played out an entertaining 2-2 draw at Corinthians Greek Sporting Club with the home team managing to hold on to their top four spot.
In yet another drama-filled draw at Alexandra Stadium, Mamelodi All Stars FC blunted their hosts AJ Alexandra United FC to escape with a point with proceedings ending 1-1. Stars remain in 15th spot while United are in 11th after ten games.
Baberwa FC then made home advantage count with a pluck 1-0 victory over M.Tigers FC in what proved to be an edgy encounter. The home team look solid in 3rd place with a game in hand and will be gunning for top spot in the coming weeks. Tigers languish in 14th spot.
In another tight 1-0 win, Blue Lions FC pleased their home supporters at Vosloorus Stadium against Leruma United, to push the visiting club further down into 13th position. Lions sit comfortably in seventh with a haul of 15 points form ten matches.
Dondol Stars were left to rue missed chances at their Muckleneck Grounds as they went down 2-1 to a classy La Masia FC in another 15h00 kick-off. Both teams remain in mid-table spots and will be hoping to gain momentum in the next few weeks.
The weekend’s final fixture saw log leaders Orange Vaal Professional FC consolidate their top spot with a professional 3-1 showing away to Tembisa Sports Centre at Makhulong Stadium. Orange Vaal now find themselves four points ahead of nearest rivals Dube Continental and will be looking to keep up the pace in their next game against Callies.