ANDREW MUCHINERIPI, Pretoria | Friday 8.00pm.
IT is surely a case of when rather than if Roy Matthews is removed as coach of SuperSport United after they lost 1-0 at home to mid-table African Wanderers at Caledonian Stadium on Friday night.
This was defeat No 11 in 21 Castle Premiership matches and Matthews, a hero in mid-year when he guided the club to a shock Bob Save Super Bowl final win over Kaizer Chiefs, is the obvious target.
SuperSport are just one place and one point above the relegation zone and they will drop into the danger area if Bush Bucks avoid defeat at home to poor travellers Bloemfontein Celtic in Umtata on Sunday.
Despite an ultimatum from management to improve results, Matthews and his team continue to struggle, drawing with Celtic and losing to Sundowns, Kaizer Chiefs, Hellenic and Wanderers in their last five matches.
Unlike many South African clubs who fire coaches quicker than you can say ‘out’, SuperSport are displaying commendable patience, but for how much longer. United visit Jomo Cosmos in midweek and another loss will surely spell the end.
Wanderers, an unfashionable, relatively poor club from Durban who were expected to struggle, claimed their seventh league victory of the season through an opportunist 24th-minute goal from Sinothi Mthalane.
Santos wiped out a two-goal deficit to draw 2-2 with Jomo Cosmos in an action-packed match at Athlone Stadium where Mozambican Nuro Tualibudine scored twice within 12 minutes of the kickoff.
Bennet Masinga reduced arrears via a free kick just before half-time and Dougie Williams sent another free kick into the net after 56 minutes to bring the clubs level.
Both sides finished with 10 men as Cosmos midfield ‘hardman’ Godfrey Sapula was sent off just before the break for hitting Duncan Crowie and Mauritian striker Jean-Marc Ithier got his red card for handling the ball.