Relegation woes imminent

RELEGATION woes are looming for Hotspurs, Oshakati City and United Stars in the next two weeks as the three sides struggle to make headway in the competitive MTC Premiership this season.

None of the three sides has accumulated more than 15 points in their respective encounters and they are all relegation material. Hotspurs, who are stuck at the base of the log, are the hardest hit with losses as they have gone down 10 times in 15 matches and have only garnered nine points to date.They have managed to pocket points through three draws and two wins. Hotspurs coach Willem Kapukare says the players have the qualities to do the job, but they need to believe in themselves more to compete against any opponent.’The boys know they can play well and win matches, but they need to raise their confidence levels. The past few performances have shown that we are on the right path, but we are still working hard at that. I am sure we will get out of this situation (relegation zone) as quick as we can,’ he said.The past two matches showed that the confidence is gaining momentum as Hotspurs held Black Africa to a goalless draw last Friday, while the previous week, they beat Blue Waters 3-1 in a home fixture.Hotspurs survived relegation in the last round of last season when Kapukare took over. This time, he hopes to survive again. But time is against his side, unless if they win at least five of their remaining seven matches which will be a tall order.Surprisingly, Hotspurs has managed to score more goals (17) than Tigers (which has 13), Eleven Arrows (10) and Oshakati City (14), but that remains insignificant if points are not coming their way. Their next opponents this Saturday are Sport Klub Windhoek (SKW) and rivals Tigers the following week Wednesday. Oshakati City upset Civics 3-2 at the weekend and that result has now pushed their point tally to 13 from 15 matches, a good morale booster for the players.Placed second from the bottom, City have the second highest goals scored against them (29) after United Stars 31 and will need to show the same form they showed against Civics and Pirates in their last two matches to make the grade.It will be tough for them as they next face defending champions African Stars in Windhoek, while they are pitted against minnows United Stars the following week.United Stars are jointly on 13 points with City after 14 matches, with a game in hand against Arrows.The Rundu-based side entered top-flight football this season and will be required to pull out all the stops if they aim to survive the chop, which sees two teams going down to the first divisions.United Stars have won three, drawn four and lost seven times and their next opponents, Arrows, will provide them with a tough test to avoid the relegation axe.United Stars lost 2-0 to Tigers last Saturday and a further defeat to Arrows this weekend will see them desperately struggling to keep their heads high, provided City and Hotspurs also fumble.Ramblers, now under coach Ali Akan, are also not safe from joining the bottom four as they have only 15 points from 15 matches, which translates to a point a match.Despite a shaky start to their league campaign, they seem to be finding their feet and in their last match managed a 1-all draw against Orlando Pirates.The same can also be said about Civics who also sit on 15 points.Civics will be required to fix the problems in defence that lead to a lapse in concentration at crucial stages of the game, costing them points in the end. corry@namibian.com.na