Swallows break drought
Moroka Swallows coach Zeca Marques could live to fight another day after his side beat in-form Platinum Stars 2-0 in their Absa Premiership clash at the Dobsonville Stadium on Wednesday night.
The Birds made sure they finished 2012 on a high with a fine win against a Dikwena side who gave them another hard night’s work, and can perhaps count themselves a little unlucky to come away with nothing.
Goals in the first half from Bennett Chenene and Katlego Mashego sealed the points for Swallows, who ended a run of nine games without a win in all competitions.
Both sides went into the fixture with familiar line-ups and it was Stars who began the brighter and looked the more likely to score in the opening 30 minutes.
Swallows did have the first chance though, Chenene’s header narrowly missing the frame of the goal inside five minutes.
Botswana international Mogakolodi Ngele was instrumental in the good early play of Dikwena and he fired just wide of the target from a free-kick.
Swallows keeper Greg Etafia was then forced into a fine save from Thuso Phala as the winger smashed the ball goalwards, before the keeper was again at the ready to stop another powerful Ngele drive.
But as the half wore on, so the home side began to come into the play more and Mashego went close as he struck the ball into the side-netting following a neat turn.
The home side did take the lead on 38 minutes though, Chenene racing onto a great ball from Lefa Tsutsulupa and coolly slotting the ball past Siyabonga Mpontshane.
By now the tails of the home side were up and Chenene might have had a second but he fired into the side-netting.
Mashego did make it 2-0 just before halftime though, some hesitant defending allowing the striker the time to score from close-range.
Gilbert Mapemba almost made it 3-0 early in the second half when his 35-yard effort crashed against the crossbar and away to safety.
Stars pushed forward in numbers, searching for a way back into the game, but found Etafia in good form and they suffered just a second defeat in their last 11 games.
Moroka Swallows (2) 2 (Chenene 38’, Mashego 45’)
Platinum Stars 0
Swallows: Etafia, Mapemba, Da Costa, Isaacs, Lekgothoane, Tsutsulupa, Nergadze, Chabangu (Kumalo 71’), Chenene (Maleka 84’), Mashego, Obada (Mathebula 60’)
Stars: Mpontshane, Mere, Gumede, Mhlongo, Ngwepe (Msomi 80’), Mkhabela, Tshabalala (Mbatha 56’), Ngele, Phala, Ng'ambi (S Mthembu 72’), Botes
