07 Apr 2025

A 2-1 win over NICO United stands Township Rollers in good stead amongst the ferocious contenders to clinch the 2024/25 FNB Premiership league title.

However, consistency in winning the remaining seven games will be key in determining the ultimate prize winner of the first FNBB-sponsored league, so holds the Rollers coach, Abdelaziz Karkache.

In a post-match interview following the garnering of the invaluable three points against the home side NICO at Sam Sono Stadium, coach Karkache observed that despite Rollers’ machine propelling hard and sufficiently to eventually lift the golden trophy, every of the contenders should remain pumped-up for some exhilarating and rewarding performances.

“Yes, we want to win the championship, but it is not easy when you have three competitors sturdily vying for it,” coach Karkache said about the intentions of the 16-time Premier League champions while citing Gaborone United, TAFIC and Jwaneng Galaxy as top threats to Rollers’ ambitions. However, the 60-year-old Moroccan, who joined Rollers December, said consistency in winning games will propel the eventual winners past the lane and onto the winners’ stage. 

Powered by their painful 2-0 loss to Sua Flamingoes at home, Popa-Popa as Rollers are monikered, vowed to thoroughly stoke their title hopes with a win against Majombolo as NICO are nicknamed.

Although Karkache spoke a mouthful about Majombolo’s fighting spirit post a game that drew multitude of full-throated supporters, he, on the other hand, lauded the never-say-die mentality of his boys. 

“We’re not very much concerned with other teams’ results, but too focused on our team and what we can achieve together,” he said.

Coach, Mandla Mpofu, whose team is slowly descending into some turbulence, has vowed to keep Majombolo in the top flight football despite the lurking relegation spirits. 

“You look at the hype created by our supporters here in Selebi-Phikwe…the way they rally behind us and you should reward them with keeping this team in the Premier League come what may,” said Mpofu.

While lauding supporters for their unwavering, consistent and tireless support, Mpofu also dubbed his boys some fighters.

“I will take the positives out of this game as we prepare for the next game. We still have seven winnable games and the only thing we can do is re-group and work even harder,” added Mpofu. Although having lost the points that could have escalated them away from close association with danger, Mpofu said they would not ‘cry over spilt milk’ but focus on re-engineering their survival plans. ENDS