Lethargic Swallows just make it

27 August 2014 - 02:15 By Marc Strydom
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HAVE A BALL: MSifiso Mbhele of Polokwane City and Moroka Swallows' Lerato Chabangu of Swallows tussle for the during the Absa Premiership match between the two teams at Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto last night. Swallows won 3-2
HAVE A BALL: MSifiso Mbhele of Polokwane City and Moroka Swallows' Lerato Chabangu of Swallows tussle for the during the Absa Premiership match between the two teams at Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto last night. Swallows won 3-2
Image: LEFTY SHIVAMBU/GALLO IMAGES

Based on their unconvincing 3-2 Absa Premiership victory against Polokwane City at Dobsonville Stadium, Soweto, last night, Moroka Swallows are in serious trouble.

Their problem is not their ageing strikers who, admittedly, still possess the energy, and always had the class, to carve openings and score. Goals by Lerato Chabangu (27th and 82nd minutes) and Vuyisile Wana (45th) were evidence of that.

But any team whose defence is as porous as that of the Birds should be concerned. They conceded two quick goals on the night - from Thapelo Tshilo (31st minute) and Puleng Tlolane (32nd minute).

City could have added more had they taken advantage of their chances after the break.

All the ingredients were there for this to be a lacklustre game. A cold, bleak night at Dobsonville was made more dire by a crowd that did not even number 700.

Those who stayed away missed something of a cracker, though not an encouraging 90 minutes from the Swallows fans' perspective.

The opening 25 minutes promised very little. In a quiet stadium, the worst could be expected.

Swallows' Siyabonga Nomvethe and Chabangu combined for a quality opening goal only for the Birds to concede a soft equaliser when City defender Tshilo headed in. City made it 2-1 within a minute.

Linda Shiba, in space on the right, whipped in a cross that Tlolane met with an acrobatic header past Greg Etafia.

Wana atoned for a miss two minutes earlier when, after a one-two with Chabangu, he beat Dino Visser with a low, crisp finish from the edge of the area to make it 2-2 at the break.

Chabangu scored the winner with eight minutes to go.

In Cape Town, Nathan Paulse scored twice to take Ajax Cape Town to their third win of the season when they beat Bidvest Wits 3-1 in a pulsating match, sending them to the top of the league standings, writes Mark Gleeson.

It was a deserved victory for the home side, who move to 10 points from their opening four encounters.

Paulse broke the deadlock in the 76th minute with an easy header, courtesy of a defensive slip. Wits' Sthembiso Ngcobo came off the bench to score with virtually his first touch of the ball just four minutes later.

But Ajax upped the ante in an impressive display of early season fitness. Paulse tucked away an 85th minute penalty and Keegan Dolly made sure of all the points with a breakaway finish in the 90th minute.

  • It was a bad night for Chippa United when they were beaten 3-0 away at Maritzburg United. Maritzburg's goals were scored by Mike Mohammed, Sheldon van Wyk and Nhlanhla Vilakazi.
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