Johannesbutg - Royal AM will travel to the Mbombela Stadium on Saturday to take on TS Galaxy with a chance to steady their ship in a match set to kick off at 3pm.
Midfielder Kabelo Mahlasela of Thwihli Thwahla has viewed this potential blockbuster fixture as an opportunity for him and his charges to redeem themselves following recent disappointment.
Last week, the Pietermaritzburg-based outfit was bundled out of the Nedbank Cup at the quarter-final stage by Kaizer Chiefs, leaving a place in the top eight as the only thing to play for this campaign.
Mahlasela echoed the words of his head coach John Maduka when he expressed that the players are desperate to move past their most recent disappointment and are ready to put on a fine showing against the Rockets.
“I think we’ve prepared well and we’re ready for the game and we’re gonna fight to make sure we come out with maximum points. We just lost a game and we want to redeem ourselves so this is an opportunity and a chance for every player to fight for the club and the badge and that’s what we’re going to Mpumalanga for,” said Mahlasela.
The 32-year-old utility man also re-emphasised the importance of collecting as many points as possible in the final stretch of the season as the congestion from top to bottom could sway in any direction at any point.
“You can see the league down and there and even up there, no one is guaranteed any position at the present moment so we just want to collect as many points as we can in the remaining games and see where we’ll end up at the end of the season.”
In TS Galaxy, Thwihli Thwahla come up against a side they have a good record against, having never lost in the three times they've met in the top flight.
It has been a turbulent last two months for Galaxy as off-field issues visibly escalated to the field and saw them knocked out of the Nedbank Cup, and also contributed to their starting of a bad run of three losses in their last four outings.
Head coach Sead Ramovic and his boys put in an impressive run from the beginning of February to the end of March, lifting them to a reasonably decent placing of 10th on the DStv premiership standings.
Their 30 points at this stage of the season make them direct rivals to eighth place Royal AM, but also opens the door to a potential relegation battle with 15th placed Chippa United just four points behind.
@ScribeSmiso
IOL Sport