With the Premiership having had an eight-week break, those teams with league aspirations will need to get back into top gear quickly. By Mogamad Allie
The long break to accommodate the festive season and the Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon will be seen as a blessing by some teams and a curse by others.
For those teams in form, like Free State Stars, Orlando Pirates and Moroka Swallows that gained momentum during the latter part of the first round, the lengthy break couldn’t have come at a worse time as they’ll have to start all over again when action resumes on 15 February. It’s almost like having built up into a smooth rhythm in a long-distance race only to be told to have a break and then try to get into your stride again.
Conversely, for strugglers like Jomo Cosmos, Black Leopards, Santos and Platinum Stars the break gave them a welcome chance to reassess what went wrong in the first round and then work on those deficiencies. It also gave them a chance to not only strengthen their playing personnel during the January transfer window but also to integrate their new signings through friendly matches.
The pick of the fixtures on the opening day of the second round has to be the clash between the ever-improving Free State Stars and SuperSport United at the Masterpieces Moripe Stadium. Steve Komphela’s side has surprised even its most ardent fans with its first-round performances and victory over a resurgent SuperSport United will enhance its credentials as a side on the up.
Similarly, Moroka Swallows will look at their away game against Kaizer Chiefs on 18 February as a gauge of their progress and their chance of mounting a challenge for the title. Chiefs have won their last three league meetings, with the Dube Birds recording their last victory over Amakhosi on 21 October 2009 when Morgan Shivambu and Lungisani Ndlela scored in a 2-1 win.
Orlando Pirates have a relatively comfortable schedule for February. They are at home to Black Leopards on the 15th, away to Platinum Stars three days later with a revenge date against Maritzburg United on the 26th, all of which provides them with a good opportunity to make up ground on the leaders.
The Cape Town derby has always provided lots of drama and fans will be hoping for something similar to last season’s 4-3 thriller which was won by Ajax when they meet neighbours Santos at the Cape Town Stadium on the 24th.
Struggling Jomo Cosmos will find it hard to pick up any points in February as they meet three teams with title aspirations in the space of 14 days. First up is a home date with Kaizer Chiefs on the 15th, then a visit to Mamelodi Sundowns three days later before finishing off the month with a home game against high riding Free State Stars. Any point Ezenkosi picks up in those games will be regarded as gold dust in their fight against relegation.
For strugglers like Jomo Cosmos, Black Leopards, Santos and Platinum Stars the break gave them a welcome chance to reassess what went wrong.
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