ANDREW MUCHINERIPI, Johannesburg | Sunday 6.00pm.
Moroka Swallows (1) 2
(Nkosi 8, Mazibuko 83)
Free State Stars (0) 1
(Maboe 66)
AFTER the magic provided by Classic and Hellenic in Tembisa on Saturday, it was back to the more pedestrian fare usually served up at Castle Premiership matches 24 hours later under an appropriate grey Johannesburg sky.
Swallows needed the points just that little bit more than Stars to move away from the relegation area and it showed as the Dube Birds generally appeared a little bit hungrier before a tiny crowd at Rand Stadium.
Why do fans shun from national championship matches? I could give you a long list centring around economics, disillusionment with squabbling officials, and the poor standard of play at far too many matches.
While this game was always interesting because the teams were evenly matched, flowing movements of the kind that led to the winning goal were the exception to the rule and the football was not worth the R10 admission fee.
Sibusiso Mazibuko played a sweet one-two with Sydney Hadebe just outside the penalty area and then took advantage of a motionless Stars defender to race on and plant the ball between the legs of Mathews Setholo and into the net.
Swallows grabbed an early lead when Setholo allowed a timid Aaron Nkosi shot to beat him at his near post and as the match reached the halfway stage of the second half, the Birds seemed in little danger.
This was due as much to an ineffective Stars attack as any brilliance on the part of Swallows and it came as no surprise when off-form striker Bunene Ngaduane was replaced by James Mokoena.
Sydwell Maboe, trying to rebuild a career that blossomed at Bloemfontein Celtic only to wilt at Orlando Pirates, AmaZulu and Wits University, snatched the equaliser with a back header over poorly positioned Jorge Fernandes.
Maboe should have levelled again near the end when a cross dropped past Kevin Rafferty, but he blazed over with only Fernandes to beat. Caretaker coach Eddie Lewis leaves Stars this week and they could battle to dodge the dreaded drop.