OSHAKATI – Young Chiefs football club are on the verge of joining the country`s elite league, the MTC Namibian Premier League, as the club currently occupies the summit in the North-West First Division.
Chiefs last weekend came out knowing very well that a potential slip-up would see them lose their stronghold atop of the log table and subsequently allow equally dangerous title contenders KK Palace to close the gap on them.
Last Saturday at the Oshalati Stadium, Chiefs locked horns with Eleven Warriors in a highly entertaining clash that saw local supporters swarming the stadium to cheer on their teams.
However, Warriors had other plans and wasted little time when they scored an early goal in the 8th minute following a schoolboy error by Chiefs’ rearguard.
Warriors frustrated Chiefs for the remainder of the half as they parked the bus, as Chiefs looked a bit short upfront with only two shots on target at changeover.
In the 2nd half Chiefs came out guns blazing and created a few chances but Warriors kept frustrating their opponents with some solid defending with their goalkeeper being the busiest man on the park.
Seemingly headed for a defeat, Chiefs scored a goal from an unlikely source to send the home crowd in huge celebrations as they bagged a valuable point in the match that ended 1-all.
On Sunday, Chiefs had a walk in the park as they hosted mid-table African Lions who found it difficult to cope with Chiefs’ pace and tenacity.
Two important goals from Erikki Erastus and Amugongo Eddy proved enough to brush aside Lions and bring the weekend tally to four points and a step closer to promotion.
In the other matches, KK Palace defeated Black Africa Warriors 2-1, Robber Chanties lost 2-1 to Unam Ogongo. Golden Bigs defeated rivals Life Fighters 2-1. Mother nature would not allow the match between Onambula United and Golden Bees to continue due to heavy rain, while African Lions defeated Young Stars 2-1 on Saturday.
Also on Sunday, Onambula United stunned Robber Chanties 3-0 with Golden Bees demolishing Unam Ogongo 2-0. KK Palace continued their dominance over Life Fighters with a 1-0 victory.
Young Stars failed to collect points over the weekend as they slipped to a 1-2 defeat to Eleven Warriors.
With only five games remaining in the North-West First Division, teams are intensifying their efforts to gain promotion to Premiership football come next season, as the winner will earn an automatic place in the country`s top league.