Swallows enjoy a comfortable lead in points

Musa Nyatama, the interim coach of the Moroka Swallows, feels that the team may avoid relegation if they achieve 32 points in the league.

On Saturday at King Zwelithini Stadium in Durban at 3pm, Swallows have the opportunity to deal a decisive blow to rivals Richards Bay FC in the race to avoid the drop.

At Dobsonville Stadium on Wednesday, the Dube Birds put up a fierce display to hold the Orlando Pirates to a 1-1 draw. The Birds took the lead in the first half through goals from Lindokuhle Mtshali and Patrick Maswanganyi in the second half.

With 25 points from the split of the spoils, Swallows are now in 13th place in the DStv Premiership, giving them some breathing room as they have escaped the immediate relegation zone.

The Swallows are 11 and 13, which is one point higher than the Cape Town Spurs at the bottom of the list and second from the bottom Richards Bay. To reach Nyatama’s desired 32 points, they need to win seven more points from their remaining eight games, which is typically sufficient to prevent the relegation.

The former midfielder for the Sundowns, Bloemfontein Celtic, and Birds stated, “We have to check the log standings and which teams we are still going to play—we still have Mamelodi Sundowns who are flying high and Stellenbosch who are doing well.”

It won’t be simple to play against teams that are fighting for their survival, like Richards Bay and Royal AM. The immediate objective is to try to reach at least 32 points; for the next games, we’ll see if we can achieve the most possible points.

“We’re still down there, but our goal is to avoid being demoted.”

Despite having the same amount of games as Richards Bay and Spurs, Swallows enjoy a comfortable lead in points, but Nyatama stated his squad is still very much in the hunt. When asked if he is comforted by their greater point advantage, he replied, “I don’t think so.”Augustine Mahlonoko, a former Pirates forward who has returned to professional football after falling by the wayside, is a part of Nyatama’s revamped Swallows squad.

“The boy [22] is still young; all we need to do is assist him in regaining his self-assurance because his talent is undeniable.” Since the youngster has seen many highs and lows, let’s give him a chance and make an effort to assist him.

“Swallows is a great team for him, and he is also here to see if he can advance in his career.”

Swallows produced a relegation escape act the previous season. According to Nyatama, the squads from the 2022–2023 campaign and this one are different.

“The team we have for this season is young and inexperienced. At left back, you have Ronald Sanou, who is still developing, Lwanda Mbanjwa, Jacob Everson, who has never played in the PSL, Augustine Mahlonoko, and Ntsiki Ngqongqa.

“We have to work with those who are here, even though the squads are not the same.”