Human on song as Maritzburg United kick off PSL playoffs on a high

Young forward Rowan Human came alive as Maritzburg United brushed aside Casric Stars to kick off the fight to retain their DStv Premiership status on a good note at a wet Harry Gwala Stadium in Pietermaritzburg on Wednesday night.

Human scored a brace when the Team of Choice defeated the third-place finishers of the Motsepe Foundation Championship in the Premier Soccer League promotion/relegation playoffs.

After finishing the season on position 15 in the top tier, Maritzburg had to fight for a spot in the Premiership against Stars and Cape Town Spurs, who were the runners-up in the second tier.

This was Stars' second loss of the playoffs after they kicked off the mini league with a 1-0 loss to Spurs.

Maritzburg are currently top of the three-team log based on their better goal difference compared Spurs.

The hero of the night in Pietermaritzburg, Human, had failed to find the back of the net during the recently finished season, where he made 27 appearances in all competitions.

He provided three assists for the Fadlu Davids-coached side, but he turned into a beast as the Team of Choice began the fight to remain in the big time.

The first half belonged to the hosts as they enjoyed a 2-0 lead while Casric didn’t look completely out of place against the team from the top tier.

After a few unsuccessful attempts, Human scored a beautiful goal with a shot from outside the box, beating a couple of defenders before taking his shot on 27 minutes.

Human, who is one of the highly rated youngsters in the country, completed his brace with four minutes left to play before half time.

The former Bidvest Wits Academy player was set up by the influential Karim Kimvuidi for his second goal.

Casric had a couple of chances to get on the scoresheet, including when young forward Mpho Makhabane failed to capitalise on Maritzburg’s Bonginkosi Makume’s mistake.

The defender attempted a back pass to his goalkeeper Renaldo Leaner, but the ball fell on Khabane, who failed to direct it to the back of the net.

Human continued to be a menace to the men from Mpumalanga, as he created opportunities for players such as Friday Samu and Kimvuidi early into the second stanza, but they couldn’t convert. 

The second half should be a concern for coach Davids as his men left a few goals on the park. 

The Team of Choice will now travel to Spurs for their second game of the playoffs at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday (3pm).

Whoever wins the bout will place themselves in great position to play in the top tier next season, though they will still have to work hard in the final two games of the mini league. 

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