Flamingoes FC are on course to cap a memorable season by winning promotion from the Southern Stream First Division to the MTC Namibia Premier League at the first attempt.
The team from Rehoboth have enjoyed a meteoric rise through the ranks in recent times and are one match away from joining the elite league at the expense of seasoned first division campaigners Try Again, Blue Boys, Young African and fellow first timers Kaizen.
Should they win against relegation-threatened Bee Bob Brothers in Mariental on Saturday, their triumph would be remembered as nothing short of an epic coup, having begun the penultimate round of competition in fourth place.
A hard fought 3-2 win over strugglers Ramblers on Saturday, followed by a 2-1 defeat of Spartans saw them ascend to the summit of the standings as their title rivals faltered.
Second-placed Kaizen lost 1-0 to mid-table Spoilers and 3-0 to fifth-placed Blue Boys who have fought hard in the last few weeks to be in contention for promotion as they also defeated second-last Windhoek United 3-2 to collect maximum points.
Try Again in third place won 1-0 against fourth-placed Young African on Saturday but surprisingly went down 3-2 to basement side Desert Rollers the following day as Young Africans recovered with a 5-2 victory over Young Brazilians.
The weekend’s results put Flamingoes on 42 points from 21 matches, displacing Kaizen who are tied on 40 points with Try Again. Young African and Blue Boys are on 39 points each.
“We want to fly very high. All the way to the Namibia Premier League,” enthused Flamingoes joint-chairman Alex Strauss when quizzed about his sides ambitions on Wednesday.
Strauss could hardly contain his joy, saying winning promotion to the NPL would be just reward for the team’s 12 years of toiling in the Hardap Second Division.
The club’s fortunes changed for the better once they became a solid unit across the board, he says.
“We can feel the NPL. We believe we can do it. It is our first time in this league and we did well. Our players are very motivated. There is unity and ambition,” said Strauss.
Standing in Flamingoes’ way are Bee Bob Brothers, a side keen on retaining their first division status, and their match on Saturday might resemble a cup final, said Strauss.
“It’s going to be a hard game because each team is fighting for something. But I believe we can make it. We have a young team mixed with some experienced players like (striker) Kenny Malgas. Kenny has helped us a lot so far. I think he will score on Saturday,” said Strauss.
THAT SINKING FEELING
As Flamingoes muse about the lofty heights of the country’s top tier football division, Desert Rollers already know they will be playing second division football next season.
After enduring a quite miserable season, their only consolation will be to derail the aspirations of title-chasing Young African.
Windhoek United occupy the second relegation spot and have to beat Kaizen to avoid dropping down to the Khomas Second Division.
A draw would also suffice should third-from-bottom Bee Bob Brothers fall to Flamingoes.
Ramblers and Spartans are the two other sides that could go down at the expense of United on the final day of action.
They face each other at Ramblers Stadium with the winner guaranteed to retain their place in the SSFD while the loser’s fate depends on the results of the teams below.
SSFD Fixtures:
Legare Stadium
11h00: Young African v Desert Rollers
Ramblers Stadium
11h00: Spartans v Ramblers
Mariental Stadium
SKW Stadium
11h00: Windhoek United v Kaizen
Karasburg Stadium
