Maduka positive Royal AM will not go to Play offs

By Ayanda Nyuswa

Royal AM coach John Maduka says he is still positive that his side can avoid the PSL Promotional play offs as they sit just two points above 15th placed Richards Bay FC with two games to go. Royal Am’s latest stumble was a 2-0 home defeat against champions Mamelodi Sundowns, who completed the double over the KZN side in three days. Peter Shalulile opened the scoring for Sundowns with an acrobatic finish towards the end of the first half, his eight league goal of the season. Attacker Lesiba Nku silenced his critics with a wonderful second half strike which sealed the three points for Masandwana and extended their unbeaten run in the league to 51 matches.

Royal Am do not enjoy the same rich vein of form as the champions, they are now winless in their last six league matches with their last victory coming in early April against Polokwane City. Thwihli Thwahla have a two points advantage over their KZN rivals with two league matches to go, they will host Chippa United on Saturday 18 May and close off the season away to Moroka Swallows. At the very least a win and a draw in the remaining two matches (given Richards Bay also win their remaining games) will guarantee safety for the Pietermaritzburg-based side.

Speaking to reporters after the Sundowns loss Maduka said: “We are positive that we will not go to play offs, the players were saying if there is something we don’t want to do is to play in the play offs. It takes a lot (the play offs) we saw Spurs looked like like it was a bad team, you know after play offs they come and play in the PSL league games, not easy. It has been a long season the same players that are not used to play week in week out and play for a long time, if we go to play offs it’s gonna be very difficult for us”, Maduka added.

“In our thinking we are positive that we are not gonna go there, it is still in our hands we have two games to play. I think it’s more of our size, difficult games of course we have got one game at home against Chippa, it’s a game we have to win, we can’t wait for others to do it for us we must do it ourselves. One good thing like I said last time it’s still in our hands, it’s still in our hands we have two points difference with Richards Bay, we have two games to play it is all up to us,” Maduka concluded.