Igesund clutches at straws at plummeting Highlands‚ says two wins will save them

Despite the odds heavily stacked against them‚ Highlands Park coach Gordon Igesund remains adamant that the club will not be relegated at the end of the season.

Highlands Park dropped to the bottom of the Absa Premiership standings after losing 2-0 to Bidvest Wits at Makhulong Stadium on Friday night and Igesund believes that two wins from their remaining four matches could be enough.

In their remaining matches‚ Highlands Park have tricky fixtures against fellow struggling sides Platinum Stars‚ Chippa United and Baroka and they round off their troubled campaign with a home tie against title chasing Mamelodi Sundowns.

• 'It’s not nice to be where we are‚ it’s a hell of a thing' says IgesundThe trick for Gordon Igesund‚ going into Highlands Park’s last six games‚ is to do enough to remove the pressure from the players and place it solely on himself. 

“We still have to play teams that are around us on the log in the form of Baroka‚ Platinum Stars‚ Chippa United and we have to get points from them‚” Igesund said.

“I think two wins could be enough for us to be safe from relegation but things may change in the next few days. If Baroka‚ Platinum Stars and Chippa lose their next matches next midweek‚ we could play our next match against Platinum Stars next weekend with the scenario having changed.

• Onyango after Downs beat Arrows: ‘We wanted to go to the top of the log this night’Denis Onyango knows that‚ now that Mamelodi Sundowns have finally taken the lead of the Absa Premiership‚ if the Brazilians can keep recording clean sheets they will probably defend their title. 

“The other thing that is important for us is that Baroka still have to play Celtic and Celtic still has to play Chippa‚ so it is very interesting and tight down there.”

Igesund has experienced a relegation battle before as coach of Moroka Swallows a in the 2010-11 season and he has asked club fans not to panic but to continue supporting the players during the difficult time. The Birds survived in 13th.

“I wouldn’t start panicking‚ we have won two‚ lost two and drawn two and some teams at the bottom with us have not won a single game in their six matches‚” Igesund said‚ though Highlands have in fact won two from seven games‚ losing three and drawing two.

“We know it is going to be tough but panicking is not going to help us. I have told the players that they must keep their heads up and remain positive because we won’t achieve our mission if we are drop our heads.

Looking back at the costly defeat to Wits‚ Igesund accepted that the difference was the quality of Highlands’ visitors‚ which they struggled to compete against.

“This is a disappointment‚ Wits are playing to win the championship and we are playing to survive and there was a huge difference in terms of quality.

“But we will keep on fighting and working hard. This is the only option we have if we are going to save this club from relegation at the end of the season‚” said Igesund.

What makes Highlands situation so difficult is that they have played 26 matches – more than a any other team other than eighth-placed Golden Arrows – which means that Igesund's side only have four matches left to notch up the points they need to save themselves.

- TMG Digital/TMG Sport