In this Absa Premiership title race that promises thrills and spills in the coming weeks of the of the run in, Bidvest Wits will have a lot to say on who will eventually be crowned South African champions.
Gavin Hunt’s men easily dispatched bottom-of-the log Highlands Park 2-0 in Tembisa on Friday night through first half goals by midfielders Granwald Scott and Vincent Pule.
As a result of this win, Wits are remain third on the log with 48 points from 24 matches and they trail log-leaders Mamelodi Sundowns by two points having played the same number of matches.
Wits went into this match some sort of pressure to freshen up their championship hopes following a draw against second-placed Cape Town City and defeat to SuperSport United in their last two matches.
However, their championship mettle will be tested in the coming two matches as they have daunting assignments against Sundowns and Orlando Pirates where they can’t afford to drop points.
For Highlands Park and their coach Gordon Igesund, the have dropped to the foot of the table with 22 points from 26 matches and they face a mountain to climb to avoid the dreaded chop at the end of the season.
They have now gone five matches without a win following losses to Wits, Ajax Cape Town and Golden Arrows and draws to Bloemfontein Celtic and Orlando Pirates in their last five matches.
In their next two league matches, Highlands Park faces potentially tricky clashes against fellow strugglers Platinum Stars and Chippa United where they will be hoping for the maximum six points.
The opening goal of the match was from the boot of Scott, who was making a return to action after a long injury layoff, in the 20th minute when he pounced on a loose ball outside the box to beat Highlands Park goalkeeper Tapuwa Kapini.
Wits nearly increased their lead a few minutes later but this time Kapini was well positioned to deal with Mogakolodi Ngele’s close range header after he connected with a well-taken cross of Pule.
After supplying the assist for the opening goal, Pule turned the finisher in the 37th minute by looping the ball over advancing Kapini into an empty net following well constructed team move that involved at least five Wits players.
Highlands Park supporters lost their patience as the match headed to the break after striker Peter Shalulile missed a sitter with an open net to pull one back after he was set up by veteran midfielder Surprise Moriri.
Highlands Park showed some improvements in the second half as they upped the tempo but they could not find the goals to get something out of this important match that could have seen them move out of the relegation zone.
- TMG Digital/TMG Sport
Wits keep title hopes well alive with victory over relegation-threatened Highlands Park
In this Absa Premiership title race that promises thrills and spills in the coming weeks of the of the run in, Bidvest Wits will have a lot to say on who will eventually be crowned South African champions.
Gavin Hunt’s men easily dispatched bottom-of-the log Highlands Park 2-0 in Tembisa on Friday night through first half goals by midfielders Granwald Scott and Vincent Pule.
As a result of this win, Wits are remain third on the log with 48 points from 24 matches and they trail log-leaders Mamelodi Sundowns by two points having played the same number of matches.
Wits went into this match some sort of pressure to freshen up their championship hopes following a draw against second-placed Cape Town City and defeat to SuperSport United in their last two matches.
However, their championship mettle will be tested in the coming two matches as they have daunting assignments against Sundowns and Orlando Pirates where they can’t afford to drop points.
For Highlands Park and their coach Gordon Igesund, the have dropped to the foot of the table with 22 points from 26 matches and they face a mountain to climb to avoid the dreaded chop at the end of the season.
They have now gone five matches without a win following losses to Wits, Ajax Cape Town and Golden Arrows and draws to Bloemfontein Celtic and Orlando Pirates in their last five matches.
In their next two league matches, Highlands Park faces potentially tricky clashes against fellow strugglers Platinum Stars and Chippa United where they will be hoping for the maximum six points.
The opening goal of the match was from the boot of Scott, who was making a return to action after a long injury layoff, in the 20th minute when he pounced on a loose ball outside the box to beat Highlands Park goalkeeper Tapuwa Kapini.
Wits nearly increased their lead a few minutes later but this time Kapini was well positioned to deal with Mogakolodi Ngele’s close range header after he connected with a well-taken cross of Pule.
After supplying the assist for the opening goal, Pule turned the finisher in the 37th minute by looping the ball over advancing Kapini into an empty net following well constructed team move that involved at least five Wits players.
Highlands Park supporters lost their patience as the match headed to the break after striker Peter Shalulile missed a sitter with an open net to pull one back after he was set up by veteran midfielder Surprise Moriri.
Highlands Park showed some improvements in the second half as they upped the tempo but they could not find the goals to get something out of this important match that could have seen them move out of the relegation zone.
- TMG Digital/TMG Sport
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