CAPE TOWN – Mamelodi Sundowns' rising star Percy Tau and Polokwane City's veteran striker Rodney Ramagalela remained locked on 11 league goals each with just one round of matches to go this season.
Sundowns beat Ajax Cape Town 3-1 last weekend to clinch the league title; although Tau was not on the scoresheet himself, having last found the net against Baroka FC on April 8.
The 23-year-old, widely tipped to win the PSL Player of the Season award, now has the chance to go and cap a fine season by claiming the Golden Boot award by scoring in Sundowns' final match, an effective dead rubber away to Bloemfontein Celtic in two weeks' time.
Ramagalela, who finished as the league's second-highest scorer last season with 11 goals, two less than Lebogang Manyama, has also not found the back of the net in his last four league matches; his most recent strike also came against Baroka FC, in a Limpopo derby on April 4.
But while Tau will be feeling pretty relaxed going into the Celtic match, Ramagalela's Polokwane City side could still find themselves potentially ending the season in the relegation zone if they fail to beat Chippa United at home in their final game, and other results go against them.
In terms of their goals per minute ratio, there has been very little to separate the two players this term – Ramagalela has made 28 starts and has scored at a rate of 228 minutes per goal, while Tau made 28 starts and one substitute appearance and has converted every 230 minutes.
In third place on the goalscorers charts is Gift Motupa of Baroka FC, on nine goals, and he would need to score a hat-trick away at SuperSport United to win the award outright, assuming that the two players above him do not add to their tallies.
Ramagalela (right) celebrates after scoring for Polokwane City. Photo: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix
Two Zimbabweans, Sundowns winger Khama Billiat and Evans Rusike of SuperSport, are currently both on eight league goals for the campaign and highly unlikely to come into the reckoning.
Should Tau and Ramagalela share the award, which last season carried a R25 000 prize, it would remarkably be the first time in the 21-year history of the PSL that this has happened.
Of concern though, especially to national team boss Stuart Baxter, would be the generally low number of goals being scored by PSL strikers.
Should 11 be the winning tally this season, it would be the second-lowest haul to win the Golden Boot - former Manning Rangers striker Keryn Jordan also having notched 11 back in 1998.
The lowest winning goals total was 10, achieved by Kaizer Chiefs marksman Bernard Parker four seasons ago.
The most league goals scored in a single PSL season came in the 2004/ 05 campaign when Collins Mbesuma banged in 25 for Kaizer Chiefs.
This season AmaKhosi, currently third on the table, have Ryan Moon and Gustavo Paez as their leading league scorers, with four each.
Luvoyo Memela, on five goals, has been the top goal-scorer in the league for an Orlando Pirates side who are set to end the season in the second position.