Swallows win - at last

Moroka Swallows coach Gordon Igesund has a reputation as a serial winner and a saviour in the PSL.

One of these days one of the clubs he frequently finds himself contracted to save will surely kill him.

Swallows, winless this season despite being one game away from the halfway mark, did their bit to give the poor blighter a heart attack yesterday.

Having gone ahead with a Siyabonga Nomvethe penalty in the 61st minute, the visitors then contrived to find every conceivable way of missing the target.

Nomvethe and Auguston Leonard, who sidefooted each other's crosses past open goals, were the chief wasters of opportunities in the second half.

Igesund, no doubt mindful of the lead thrown away against Free State Stars in the dying seconds last week, was ageing visibly with each miss.

His fears nearly came true in the 84th minute when referee Abdul Ebrahim awarded Wits a disputed penalty for Ashraf Hendricks alleged tug on Sifiso Vilakazi in the box.

But Wits' Brazilian David de Oliviera hit the post with his spot-kick, leaving Swallows to hang on as Wits peppered their goal in the dying minutes.

The win saw Swallows merely equal Hellenic's PSL record of 13 games without a victory, instead of surpassing it.

And with Paul Dolezar's presence at the stadium having taken on proportions of a vulture circling around a carcass, Swallows showed there's still life in their bid to avoid being relegated by putting a three-point cushion between them and the Frenchman's Mpumalanga Black Aces.

It was a match in which a lot of energy was expended without it affecting the scoreboard.

With the defence of both teams in an uncompromising mood, the two sides didn't really hold on to the ball for long enough to build sufficient pressure.

As a result, most of the initial chances came from counterattacks, with Swallows struggling with the final ball, and their intended recipients with their first touch.

During that time Wits' defence was organised and dealt well with the twin threat of Nomvethe's pace and Brad Ritson's physicality.

In fact, the only clear chance Swallows got in the first half fell to Nomvethe, who blazed his shot straight into keeper Darren Keet in the 13th minute.

The game became one-sided when Igesund introduced Shaun Haschick, for the cautioned Ritson, and Auguston Leonard for the ineffective Tshepo Ramokala.

Assailed by their pace and Nomvethe from all angles, Wits' defence suddenly wilted.

But alas, there were no takers as the Swallows players took turns missing opportunities.

Before the game, Igesund said his side needed eight wins from their remaining 17 games to escape relegation.

They now need seven wins and the next 16 games promise to be purgatory for the coach if yesterday was anything to go by.