The race for the South African Breweries (SAB) Cacadu regional league is all but over after last week's encounters at JD Dlepu.
The race for the South African Breweries (SAB) Cacadu regional league is all but over after last week's encounters at JD Dlepu.
Two Makana teams emerged victorius.
MARU are set for play-offs spot after they sank their town rivals Eleven Attackers 2-1 in a high-temperature match at JD Dlepu.
The win moved MARU to 29 points on the log, 11 ahead of Attackers who remain on second place.
MARU had made known their ambition to secure their spot in the play-offs very early in the season, with no side presenting much of a challenge.
The match against Attackers was always going to be filled with drama, as teams are known in the town for their mutual animosity.
With MARU quickly running to a 2-0 lead midway through the second half, tempers flared from both sides as Attackers sought a way back into the game.
MARU were happy with just containing them in the midfield.
The first goal for MARU came during the half-hour mark through the boot of Libona Nondlwana.
A second came early in the second half with a brilliant strike from substitute Masixole Adonis.
A red was inevitable in this match, as the ref had to step in a number of times to stop the chaos that was brewing in the middle of the park.
Arguably one of the Attackers better performers of the day, Siyanda Meltata, was shown a second yellow for a dangerous tackle, leaving Attackers quest to come back into the game in tatters.
Their only consolation goal came towards the end of the 90 through the head of Mvuyisi Platyi: Attackers did not sit back after falling a man short.
However the play-offs for the spot in the ABC Motsepe league will be a whole new ball game for MARU – because the side’s record away from home is not impressive at all.
They would need to pull all the stops if they are to become Grahamstown's first representatives in South Africa’s third-tier division.
