THANDA Royal Zulu FC will get by with a little help from their friends.
They need to beat Garankuwa United in their final fixture of the regular season at the uMhlathuze Stadium on Sunday, kick-off at 3pm.
At the same time, they will want African Warriors to deny three points to Black Leopards.
Even a draw there will do for the Amabhubesi, who will expect huge local support in their quest to bring big time soccer to the city.
This would give them a shot at the promotion play-offs, where the 2nd and 3rd placed NFD sides will battle it out in a round robin with the PSL’s lowest ranked.
Golden Arrows have already clinched the NFD title and hence automatic promotion to the PSL, this after Thanda beat Jomo Cosmos 2-1 last Sunday to deny them any chance of catching Arrows.
The top five now comprise: 1 Golden Arrows 57 points, 2 Jomo Cosmos 50, 3 Black Leopards 48, 4 Thanda Royal 47, 5 CT All Stars 47.
Jomo are playing Cape Town All Stars. If they win, they will be in unassailable second place with 53 points; if they lose, All Stars will join them on 50 points; a draw will see Cosmos on 51 and All Stars on 48.
A win for Thanda will give them 50 points – enough to go through if Leopards lose or draw, their +14 goal difference being superior to All Stars’ +8.
Thanda will be upbeat after their super away win against Jomo Cosmos on Sunday, when Michael Gumede and Ace Bhengu found the net.
With 19 league and two cup goals to his name, Bhengu looks set to win the ‘sharpshooter’ award as the league’s top scorer.
Let’s hope he bags a few more on Sunday… and that African Warriors knock the spots off Black Leopards.
