TTM once again make it through promotional playoffs

Football has once again proved to be a cruel sport. Ajax Cape Town were on top of the GladAfrica Championship League log for several months, but finally missed automatic promotion to the Absa Premiership Division by a whisker.

Ajax were nine points ahead of the second-placed Swallows FC when the activities for the current soccer season resumed about three weeks ago. Things turned inside out in the Urban Warriors’ camp when they lost three matches in a row. They lost 0-1 to Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM), 1-2 to JDR Stars and donated vital points to Swallows FC, to whom they lost 1-2.

Ajax went to their final league match against Mbombela United last Sunday with the hope that they would win the match by a wider margin and gain automatic promotion, but that was not to be. Although Ajax crushed Mbombela United 3-0, the victory was not good enough to make them gain automatic promotion.

Swallows managed to thwart Ajax’s last hopes when they registered a similar victory at the expense of TTM in the other match that was played on the same day at the same time. Ajax and Swallows completed the season with 57 points each.

The only thing that separated the two teams was goal difference. Swallows have 14 goals to their credit while Ajax have 13. The results made the Premier Soccer League officially welcome Swallows FC to the Premiership Division. Ajax and TTM, who finished in the third position, together with the Absa Premiership team that will finish in the 15^th spot, will battle it out in the promotion/relegation playoffs that are scheduled to start on Sunday.

The first promotional playoff match will be between TTM and Ajax. This is not the first time that Ajax Cape Town have fallen victim of the cruelty of football. They failed to qualify for the promotional playoffs by a single goal last season.

Either Baroka FC, Black Leopards, Polokwane City or Amazulu FC will face relegation or try their luck in the promotional playoffs at the end of the season. The Absa Premiership league teams will play their final league matches for the season tomorrow afternoon (Saturday).

Date:03 September 2020

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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