With only a few matches left in the season, the Free State’s ABC Motsepe League championship is at a climax.
Five football clubs, two in stream A and three in stream B, still have a realistic chance of lifting the trophy and qualifying for the play-offs for promotion to the national first division.
The Qwaqwa-based outfit Dikwena FC tops stream A with 29 points, while the Bloemfontein-based Blackcross side leads stream B with 26 points.
Bloemfontein Celtic, with 23 points, and Sibanye Golden Stars, with 22, are the dark horses in stream B.
A return fixture between Blackcross and Stars, scheduled to be played on 9 April, is likely to determine the winner in stream B. The outcome will depend largely on the performance of Celtic and Stars in their remaining return matches.
Dikwena’s remaining matches are against the Bloemfontein-based Clever Boys, Botshabelo-based Mathaithai and Bethlehem-based Super Eagles.
In D’General’s remaining fixtures, this side will face off against Eagles, Kovsie FC, the Central University of Technology and Matjhabeng FC.
Must-win fixtures for Blackcross are against Spartans and Harmony.
Celtic’s important matches are against Excelsior United, Bloemfontein Young Tigers, African Warriors and Spartans.
The winner of stream A will face off against the winner of stream B to determine the province’s overall winner. This winner will automatically qualify for promotion to the national first division.
The play-offs will be staged later this year.
- Since 2013, no team from the Free State has succeeded in gaining promotion. The last club to manage this feat was Maluti FC from Qwaqwa.
