Bloemfontein Celtic, earlier in the season regarded as contenders for the Absa Premiership title, are now contenders of another kind — for relegation.
A 3-0 defeat against a sprightly Golden Arrows at the King Zwelithini Stadium on Saturday afternoon has left Celtic precariously placed at 13th position in the log.
While it might be too soon to panic, as the saying goes, the popular Bloemfontein club’s supporters are reported to be preparing to hold a prayer meeting to help end their team’s disconcerting decline.
Uncomfortably placed in the Celtic hot seat right now is coach Khabo Zondo, who was fired in the midst of the Bloemfontein team’s fall from grace — only to be recalled within days in a move that suggested the club were not quite sure where they were going.
With Arrows playing with confidence from the outset and Celtic looking like a team who expected the worst, the Durban side needed only two minutes to open the score through a deflected free-kick from Joseph Musona, which bamboozled goalkeeper Simon Gopane.
Arrows increased their lead in the 62nd minute when the quicksilver Abia Nale waltzed through an out-of-position defence and slotted the ball into the corner of the net.
And with Celtic continuing to make little headway, Nhlanhla Zothwane knocked the final nails into Celtic’s coffin with a soaring headed goal in the 88th minute — improving the Durban club’s prospects of qualifying for next season’s Top Eight competition in the process. — Sapa