Promotional playoff hopes for TTM

Following their 3-2 victory over Stellenbosch FC in their National First Division League match at the Thohoyandou Stadium last Saturday, Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM) revived their hopes of taking part in the promotional playoffs when the activities for the current season come to an end in two months’ time.

TTM moved a step up on the log, following the victory. They are now lying in the seventh position on the log with 35 points. The team finishing the league on top of the log will gain automatic promotion to the Premiership Division while the second- and third-placed sides, together with a Premier Division team that will finish in the 15^th spot, will take part in the promotional playoffs. The top team in the promotional playoffs will also gain promotion to the elite league.

Asked how he rated their promotional playoff chances, TTM’s head coach, Mr Momcilo Medic, was quick to mention that the race was still wide open, considering the fact that they still had to play six matches before the end of the season.

He reluctantly agreed that winning the league championship would not be easy for them, although it was still possible. He stressed the fact that their target was to finish within the top three teams and partake in the promotional playoffs.

Medic said that he was impressed by the fact that his team managed to score three goals the past weekend, although conceding two goals at home was not something he was proud of.

Phumelele Bhengu, Sontaga Mohloding and Edward Maqele scored for TTM while Stellenbosch FC pulled two back through Iqraam Rayners and Junior Awono later in the game.

Mr Steve Barker, Stellenbosch’s head coach, blamed TTM for applying “dirty tricks”. He accused TTM of instructing the ball boys to take their time before throwing in the balls at a time when his side were trailing 2-3.

Date:23 March 2019

By: Frank Mavhungu

Frank is a Human Resources Manager at the Department of Public Works in Limpopo. He is the longest serving correspondent of the Mirror, having joined us at the end of 1990.  He mainly writes sports reports and resides at Tsianda Village. In 2004, Frank won the National Castle League Award, an award for the best reporter in the SAB league in South Africa.

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