23 Mar 2025

While some players are on international duties and helping their nations in quest to qualify for the coveted World Cup tournament, teams facing the relegation chop are busy devising ways of eluding the dreaded fall from the FNB Premiership.

At Sam Sono Stadium in Selebi-Phikwe, NICO United played three friendly games with an average of 30 players in a one-day tournament to sharpen up to collecting points in their remaining nine games.

Coach Mandla Mpofu is upbeat that more than 10 points from the remaining matches would be required to ensure that NICO steered clear of the relegation zone. Although seated in a not-so-precarious place after garnering 23 points from 21 games and sitting seven points from the relegation zone, it is the possibility of dropping into the relegation zone that has pushed Mpofu into plotting all moves to try circumvent his way around the dangerous ground.

“I think our chances of remaining in the Premiership will be very high if we can get more than 10 points. Ten points will get us to over 33 points and that’s good maximum points to survive,” Mpofu said.

The gaffer is raring to get to the safety and the tournament offered him an opportunity to experiment his survival plans with every available player, a rarity that a coach who arrives in the middle of the season can get.

“We need points like yesterday and there is no two ways about it if we’re to survive,” he added.

Although he conceded to difficulties of trying combinations while playing week in week out in the Premiership, coach Mpofu said the tournament accorded him time to observe his players while affording each one of them time under little pressure to impress him.

Playing against Morupule Wanderers and Chadibe F.C in quick succession accorded Ndlovu and his charges good match practices which exposed players to committing a lot of mistakes, according to the coach.

“I saw a lot of mistakes, which is good for a coach. I was also looking into how mentally fit we are going into our last week of preparations,” said Mpofu.

Chadibe head coach, Chris Mwanza and his boys are teetering on more precarious ground compared to NICO. However, Mwanza believes their fate is not sealed yet.

“We are most likely to escape. We’ve got nine games to play and from those we have five to play at home in Francistown where we are going to use home advantage. The fortunate part is that we are going to play teams that are just a few points above us, like BDF XI which we’re playing after the break,” Mwanza said.

Chadibe is currently slouching on spot 15 of the 16 team Premiership log with 14 points from the 21 games played. Below them are Union Flamengo Santos with nine points from 21 games.

“And so, we will take it step by step,” said the overly optimistic Mwanza who found the one-day tournament most rewarding to his players whom he wanted to maintain high level of fitness.

The tournament also featured Morupule Wanderers which played a single game against NICO and left for their Palapye base. Also partaking was FC Satmos. ENDS