Ditlhokwe’s Supersport Utd Now Fighting For Top Eight Qualification

  • Club has gone 10 games without a league win
  • They were a top three side in January
  • The club has not finished outside the top 8 since 2000

 

BONGANI MALUNGA

Thatayaone Ditlhokwe’s Supersport United are now facing an anxious battle to ensure that they finish in the top eight to qualify for next season’s MTN8 after a spectacular decline in form in 2021. Supersport United started 2021 as one of the top three clubs and they were title contenders right until February. Prior to their bad run of form, Matsatsantsa had been unbeaten for nearly two months stretching from 27 November to late January.
A 2-1 defeat against Bloemfontein Celtic on February 9th changed Supersport’s season, since that setback the club has not been the same as they have been eclipsed by clubs such as Golden Arrows, Moroka Swallows and Amazulu.
Supersport United dropped from third to sixth in recent months, they are now six points ahead of ninth placed Baroka FC with only four games left to play. With their barren run of form the club is in danger of finishing outside the top eight for the first time since 2000.
Supersport has been a mainstay in the MTN8 competition for the past 20 years and they have won the competition three times in that spell (2004, 2017 and 2019). Missing out on the competition would represent the club’s most disappointing campaign in 20 years.
Since February they have gone on a downward spiral that has shown no signs of stopping. The club has now gone 10 league games without a win, their last victory was recorded in February when they defeated Cape Town City 2-1.
Kaitano Tembo’s side has recorded three defeats and seven draws in the last 10 league games, they have also kept only one clean sheet in that period. The club will get a chance to address their recent slip ups with a game against newly crowned Nedbank Cup winners Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila today (Wednesday).