ANDREW MUCHINERIPI, Johannesburg | Monday 9.00am
FEW Castle Premiership clubs seem to revel fighting their way out of a tight corner more than Free State Stars and so it proved on a freezing evening at Greenpoint Stadium in Cape Town.
A 1-0 victory over Santos in a crucial match for the relegation-threatened visitors was achieved amid controversy, but all that mattered in the cold light of day was that three precious points had been secured.
Midfielder Philemon Tsiu made the breakthrough after only 14 minutes with a whistling, medium-range shot that flew over goalkeeper Craig Mentz into the roof of the net.
Before and after the goal, both teams spurned chances of varying ease, and referee Progress Moima gew increasingly unpopular with home supporters for giving several rather dubious decisions against Santos.
When the final whistle blew, alert security men and club officials rushed to the rescue of Moima and his assistants while many in the small crowd bayed for blood.
Everybody defeats doomed Mother City these days so it must have come as a severe shock to Manning Rangers when they fell behind to the Cape club with 20 minutes left at Chatsworth Stadium in Durban.
Mimi Radebe cut inside from the left wing and Fadlu Davids headed past Grant Johnson to raise the prospect of only a third league victory in 32 outings stretching back to August.
But there was to be no fairytale ending as gangling Liswa Nduti from the Democratic Republic of Congo struck twice within seven minutes to keep the Mighty Maulers on course for an invitation to the BP Top 8 draw.
He levelled by latching on to a loose ball just outside the penalty area and beating Ryan Wuest with a dipping shot and when the goalkeeper dropped the ball with four minutes left, a scramble ensued from which Nduti slotted the ball in.