CAPE TOWN - D-DAY is looming for NFD strugglers Santos. Cape Town’s oldest proffessional football club is on the brink of being relegated.
A look at the log shows Santos alone in last place and seven points adrift of Magesi FC and FC Cape Town, who both sit on 25 points.
Just three wins from 25 outings for Santos will turn out to be telling when the season ends at the end of May.
Four straight losses has not helped the People’s Team’s cause, and with five rounds remaining it could be the beginning of the end for the 2002/03 PSL champions.
The last rites haven’t quite been read, but will be shortly if the men from Athlone continue on their losing run, beginning with a tie away to Mbombela United on Saturday. United are in ninth place and last time out thrashed struggling Milano United 4-0 in their backyard.
“We haven’t yet given up the fight,” said Santos coach Tony de Nobrega. “We can see the exit door, one that we don’t want to be walking through. There’s still hope for us but that entails winning, and that’s been hard to come by; we’ve only bagged maximum points on three occasions.
One can only say that it’s been a shocking season for four of the five Cape clubs participating in the 16-team division, with Stellenbosch FC the exception. Coach Sammy Troughton’s team are in fourth place and in line for a place in the promotion play-offs.
At the bottom, two Cape sides could be relegated. Besides Santos, Magesi of Limpopo, FC CT and Milano are also in line for the drop.
All Stars sit in 12th place but are only a point above the relegation spat, with a game in hand.
Saturday's fixtures: Black Leopards v AmaZulu; Witbank Spurs v Milano United; FC Cape Town v Jomo Cosmos; Stellenbosch FC v Mthatha Bucks; Mbombela United v Santos; Real Kings FC v Royal Eagles.
Sunday: Thanda Royal Zulu v Magesi FC.