Pirates closer, Birds out

ORLANDO Pirates edged closer to winning their first league title in many years, while Blue Waters were officially relegated after Saturday’s matches in the MTC Namibia Premier League.

Mixed results emerged from the weekend’s matches, but the saddest was the 3-1 downfall of coastal side Blue Waters to Tigers, which at one stage won the league twice in a row under coach Shepherd Murape. Blue Waters were the lightweights of the premiership this season and will go down with entrants Fedics United who on their part grinned out a 1-all draw against African Stars at the J.Stephanus Stadium at Keetmanshoop.Pirates, now on 39 points with one match to go, basked in victory after two solid goals from strikers, Saul Coetzee and Frans de Muinda at the SKW Fields, while Civics (36 points), who are also title chasers, were held to a goalless draw by a determined Sport Klub Windhoek (SKW) side at the Independence Stadium.Ramblers lost 1-0 to Oshakati City at the Oshakati Independence Stadium, a result that virtually threw them out of the title race, while Mighty Gunners handed Black Africa a huge 4-0 upset at the Mokati Stadium at Otjiwarongo, also to make their hopes of becoming league champions just impossible.Pirates will be home and dry if they win their last match against Mighty Gunners at Otjiwarongo, but it will be a difficult assignment judging from the way Dawid Snewe’s side managed to get around BA at the weekend.Civics will hope that Pirates lose and will aim to capitalise on a big win against Fedics United at the Independence Stadium next weekend.In fact, Civics could have failed to pick up a point at the weekend if a goal by the towering SKW striker Arend von Stryk through a counter-attack had not been disallowed after it was ruled off-side.Civics recently won the MTC/NFA Cup title and if they win the league this season, it will be their fourth straight title, but their chances will be made difficult by a Pirates side which played with purpose despite being held to a goalless draw at half-time by Arrows.Meanwhile, Namibia Sport reports that Civics team manager Paul Stramis admitted that their chances of retaining the title were now quite slim.”It is now out of our hands.We must beat Fedics in our last match and hope that Mighty Gunners beat Pirates, but with Gunners already safe, I can’t see that happening,” he said.Stramis however said that Civics would lodge an appeal with the NPL if they don’t schedule the long outstanding Black Africa-African Stars match within the next week.”The Black Africa-African Stars match will have to be played before the final round of matches next weekend.If that does not happen, we will lodge a protest,” he said.Blue Waters were the lightweights of the premiership this season and will go down with entrants Fedics United who on their part grinned out a 1-all draw against African Stars at the J.Stephanus Stadium at Keetmanshoop.Pirates, now on 39 points with one match to go, basked in victory after two solid goals from strikers, Saul Coetzee and Frans de Muinda at the SKW Fields, while Civics (36 points), who are also title chasers, were held to a goalless draw by a determined Sport Klub Windhoek (SKW) side at the Independence Stadium.Ramblers lost 1-0 to Oshakati City at the Oshakati Independence Stadium, a result that virtually threw them out of the title race, while Mighty Gunners handed Black Africa a huge 4-0 upset at the Mokati Stadium at Otjiwarongo, also to make their hopes of becoming league champions just impossible.Pirates will be home and dry if they win their last match against Mighty Gunners at Otjiwarongo, but it will be a difficult assignment judging from the way Dawid Snewe’s side managed to get around BA at the weekend.Civics will hope that Pirates lose and will aim to capitalise on a big win against Fedics United at the Independence Stadium next weekend.In fact, Civics could have failed to pick up a point at the weekend if a goal by the towering SKW striker Arend von Stryk through a counter-attack had not been disallowed after it was ruled off-side.Civics recently won the MTC/NFA Cup title and if they win the league this season, it will be their fourth straight title, but their chances will be made difficult by a Pirates side which played with purpose despite being held to a goalless draw at half-time by Arrows.Meanwhile, Namibia Sport reports that Civics team manager Paul Stramis admitted that their chances of retaining the title were now quite slim.”It is now out of our hands.We must beat Fedics in our last match and hope that Mighty Gunners beat Pirates, but with Gunners already safe, I can’t see that happening,” he said.Stramis however said that Civics would lodge an appeal with the NPL if they don’t schedule the long outstanding Black Africa-African Stars match within the next week.”The Black Africa-African Stars match will have to be played before the final round of matches next weekend.If that does not happen, we will lodge a protest,” he said.