Tigers, Santos, Spurs fight to survive

TIGERS, Chief Santos and Hotspurs have to fight for the ultimate premiership survival if they want to evade the relegation axe, as they are all tied on 15 points with only six matches to go in the domestic football league.

Tigers were pushed into an uncomfortable 10th position in the 12-team league, while Santos hang in 11th with Hotspurs in ninth spot.All have played 16 matches and are now tied on 15 points, meaning they managed to gain a point a game, while Mighty Gunners which is placed 12th are certain of their place back to the lower league, with only three points from 16 matches.Tigers were condemned to the end of the table after a 1-0 loss to African Stars despite a gutsy performance on Friday night, while Chief Santos fell 2-0 to Civics at their home ground. Spurs managed to get a point in their 1-all draw against Oshakati City.The race at both ends is already hot, with sides at the top feeling the pressure to maintain their status, while at the bottom, they are fighting tooth and nail to stay clear from the base of the table.SKW moved up into top spot on Saturday, after Stars took temporary pole position in their win on Friday, while Civics remained in third with Arrows drifting further into fifth spot. Dark horses Black Africa under coach Ali Akan have regained a lot of confidence and are playing with a purpose and have now moved into fourth spot. But at the base of the table, it is a scramble for places as Hotspurs, Tigers and Chief Santos will have no choice but to improve their records with wins in their remaining matches. TIGERS NEVER RELEGATED Tigers, formed 82 years ago, is the oldest club in the country and from that time, they never got relegated from top flight football.They have only won the league once in 1985 when the league was still known as the Namibia Premier Soccer League (NPSL), but strangely, never landed any since Independence.From 2000 until to date, Tigers have never finished in the top six bracket, but have been mid-table dwellers with mixed results, while they have a record of playing in six NFA Cup finals and winning it twice.They also won the then Metropolitan Shield Cup in 1996 but have struggled immensely to win the league.Tigers are left with an almost impossible mission in their next matches against Civics, Black Africa and Eleven Arrows, while in Ramblers, Hotspurs and Chief Santos they stand a 50 per cent of taking points.Their current players have peaked relatively well considering their performance against Stars on Friday and they will be responsible for the relegation or survival of the team.Chief Santos won the league title in 1993 and again in 2003, while they have the record for most NFA Cup wins with five in total.They were however relegated in the 2005/6 season and made their entry back this season, but during the years also posted mixed results with season finishes in mid-table.Santos will next face Arrows, Tigers, Mighty Gunners, SKW, Ramblers and Hotspurs.Hotspurs made their first premiership appearance this season and spent 10 years in the lower leagues before hitting the big time.The side was no feeder team to any premiership side and is managed by a group of individuals who have invested heavily without any sponsor for years.Hotspurs have shown their mettle with four wins in their current league run with the casualties being Tigers, Ramblers, Mighty Gunners and Oshakati City.They were considered non-hopers at the start of the season, but they will go down fighting as they are highly motivated and unpredictable. corry@namibian.com.na