Nemasisi not giving up on promotion run for JDR

With six games left in the Motsepe Foundation Championship, JDR Stars are 10 points behind the playoff places. Their coach Nditsheni Nemasisi has insisted there’s plenty to play for and nothing has been decided. 

Stars went into this season harbouring hopes of getting promotion to the DStv Premiership, however, inconsistency in results at the turn of the year has seen them fall behind the contenders. Since January they have played 12 games, winning five, drawing four and losing three.

Nemasisi’s team is in sixth place with 36 points at the moment, Cape Town Spurs (47 points), Casric Stars (47 points), and Polokwane City (46 points) occupy the top three positions. Even with the odds against them as things stand, Nemasisi has not thrown in the towel yet. 

“We haven’t given up, even though I’m disappointed that we are a bit far off the top three. We had a very bad run and that affected us in terms of what we had planned but it’s football. The remaining six games can still give us a top-three position,” said Nemasisi when speaking to the Sowetan.   

“With our experience in the league, we know it has never been concluded this early. Despite these teams being on top of us, there are still plenty of changes that can still happen. When Swallows got promoted, at this particular time they were number eight or so." 

The first three points available will be against Spurs. Stars will host Shaun Bartlett’s team tomorrow at Giant Stadium (3.30pm). The Stars mentor is aware of the dangers the attacking duo of Ashley Cupido, and Boitumelo Radiopane possess. 

“We have a tough task to deal with in the strike force of Spurs,” Nemasisi said.

“The form of Radiopane and Cupido is a cause for concern for us but they need to also worry about us. We need to dominate, we need to play our game. I know that if we play our game, the likes of Cupido and Radiopane will worry about marking than scoring.”

NFD fixtures (all 3.30pm):  

Tomorrow: Pretoria Caillies v Venda FA, TUT Stadium; Hungry Lions v Uthongathi; Windhoek Draught Park Stadium; Polokwane City v Pretoria University, Peter Mokaba Stadium; Casric Stars v NB La Masia, Solomon Mahlangu Stadium; JDR Stars v Cape Town Spurs, Giant Stadium.

Sunday: TTM v All Stars; Dr Molemela Stadium; Baroka v Black Leopards, Baroka  Village; Magesi v Platinum City Rovers, Peter Mokaba Stadium.