By Carlos Kambaekwa
WINDHOEK
National Southern Stream Division One log leaders Hotspurs Football Club saw off ambitious coastal outfit Namib Woestyn in an 11-goal thriller at the Kuisebmond Stadium in Walvis Bay last Sunday.
The victory cemented the Donkerhoek-based team’s position at the summit of the country’s second tier division and closer to gaining automatic promotion to the elite league with seven rounds of matches to go before conclusion of the 2007/2008 league campaign.
Despite taking a narrow one goal lead going into the changeover (2-1) – Spurs were given a scare by the hosts, who at one stage led by 5 goals to 3 with only ten minutes remaining on the clock.
The log leaders clawed their way back into contention and staged a remarkable comeback with a flurry of goals in a space of 10-minutes to grab the three valuable points at stake which moved them 5 points ahead of closest rivals Monitronic College after 13 matches but the students still boast a match in hand.
In other action, Deportivo Alaves despatched Nampol by 2 goals without reply at the Legare Stadium in Gobabis, and Flying Eagles grounded Zambezi United 6-1 in a one-sided encounter at the Mariental Showgrounds, while Friends’ aspirations for an imminent return to top flight football suffered a major blow following their 3-2 defeat at the hands of Desert Rollers at the Legare Stadium in Gobabis on Saturday.
However, Muirs Markus’ boys dusted themselves off and pulled off a magnificent result against Nampol – seeing off the cops 4-1 at the Legare Stadium in Gobabis on Sunday. The result leaves the Rehobothers in third place in the Southern Stream Division One log standings – 6 points off the pace of leaders Spurs and a mere point adrift of 2nd placed Monitronic College.
Elsewhere, Black Marocco Chiefs (BMC) scored a well deserved 2-1 win over Zambezi United at the Mariental Showgrounds – leaving United returning home empty handed from the weekend’s activities.
Alaves completed their weekend’s assignment with another fine performance when Willy Swarts’ charges stopped the rampant Desert Rollers right in their tracks in their own backyard with a hard-fought 2-1 win at the Legare Stadium in Gobabis on Sunday.
The much anticipated match that was to have taken place between Namib Woestyn and title-chasing Monitronic College failed to materialize, apparently on the request of the students as most of the team’s officials had hurriedly retreated to their native Zimbabwe for the national elections.
– Southern Stream First Division Log Standings
P W L D Pts
Hotspurs 13 10 1 2 32
Monitronic College 12 9 3 0 27
Friends 13 8 3 2 26
Black Marocco Chiefs 13 4 4 5 17
Namib Woestyn 12 5 5 2 17
Deportivo Alaves 13 5 6 2 17
Young Beauties 13 4 5 3 15
Desert Rollers 12 4 6 2 14
Zambezi United 13 3 7 3 12
Nampol 12 2 7 3 9
Flying Eagles 13 3 10 0 9