Hanover Park blow ABC Motsepe League title race wide open
Imitha Ntimba of FN Rangers, left, and Hanover Park's Togeur Classen battle for possession during their ABC Motsepe League match played at the Royal Road sports complex, in Miatland, on Saturday.
Image: Mark Ward
Mark Ward
Hanover Park have blown the title race wide open in the ABC Motsepe League, sending a timely reminder to the chasing pack that the Brasse of the Park are firmly intent on forcing their way into the play-offs.
The Hanover Park outfit moved to within two points of log leaders Hout Bay United after a deserved 2–0 win over FN Rangers at the Royal Road Sportsground on Saturday.
After a scoreless but lively first half, in which both sides created a string of clear-cut chances, the breakthrough eventually arrived from the penalty spot. Forward Imitiyaaz Ruiters kept his nerve to put the visitors in front before Morné Abrahams added a second goal to seal the result.
FN Rangers goalkeeper, Jayvin Chisholm clears the ball during his side's ABC Motsepe League match against Hanover Park AFC, at the Royal Road sports complex, in Maitland, on Saturday.
Image: Mark Ward
The win lifts Hanover Park onto 18 points from 10 outings, leaving them firmly in touch with the frontrunners and strengthening belief that a genuine push for a top-four finish is well within reach.
Their next challenge comes on home soil when Vasco da Gama visit the Downberg Sportsground on Saturday — a fixture that could further shape an increasingly congested race at the top of the table. Vasco exited the Nedbank Cup at the weekend after going down 1–0 to Jacksa Spears in Upington on Sunday.
Hout Bay underlined their credentials with a convincing 4-1 win over Cape Town Spurs, a result that pushed them back to the top of the standings.
Hanover Park's Tyreese Diedericks heads the ball away as a player of FN Rangers closes in during their sides' ABC Motsepe league match, at Royal Road, on Saturday.
Image: Mark Ward
The renewed optimism around the Hanover Park camp comes after a turbulent end to last season, when a prolonged internal arbitration process overshadowed what had been a promising campaign. They eventually lost to Zizwe United in the controversial second play-off.
Now, with Anwar Gallant at the helm, the Brasse appear settled and more focused, with performances beginning to match the ambition within the squad.
While it is still early in a campaign shaping up to be a fiercely contested one, the margins at the top are tight. Only five points separate the top seven teams at this stage of the season.
Further down the log, Santos saw their unbeaten run ended in a 2–1 defeat to Ubuntu. They remain fifth on 15 points and, crucially, have two games in hand on several of their direct rivals. Rangers slipped to third place, while Hope FC continue to hover just behind in second spot.