ABSA premiership
JOHANNESBURG – THE rate at which strikers are misfiring in the Absa Premiership, it looks highly the league’s top marksman will win the Top Goal Scorer Award with a scant number of goals once more.
Save for Polokwane City forward, Rodney Ramagalela, who is scoring an average of a goal in every two matches, the rest of the strikers have been a huge disappointment.
Playing for the modest side, Ramagalela, who has attracted the interest of top teams, has to date scored eight goals from 14 league matches before the ABSA premier soccer league took a break for the festive season.
The most lucrative league in the continent seems to be lacking consistent strikers that are hungry for goals to illuminate matches at stadia nationwide.
Behind Ramagalela, Mamelodi Sundowns’ Percy Tau has scored six goals.
Gift Motupa has netted five times in the coulors of Baroka FC, the same number Rhulani Manzini has netted for AmaZulu.
Four players sit on four goals.
They are Aubrey Modiba of SuperSport United, Evans Rusike (Maritzburg United), Siphelele Magubane (Golden Arrows) and Themba Zwane (Sundowns).
The Kaizer Chiefs duo of Gustavo Paez and Siphiwe Tshabalala, as well as Khama Billiat (Sundowns) and Knox Mutizwa of Arrows all have scored
thrice.
As the premiership returns on Friday, coaches from the 16-team league, particularly those eager to win the title and others desperate to survive relegation, will be expecting more goals from their strikers.
The dearth of strikers in the league is well documented.
Last season, a mere 13 goals were enough to hand then-Cape Town City captain Lebogang Manyama the accolade as the country’s top scorer.
In the past five seasons, no player has managed more than 14 goals.
In 2013/14, Chiefs’ Bernard Parker netted ten goals and they were still enough to win him the top goal scorer award.
Such figures are a far cry from the golden era of strikers.
Collins Mbesuma, the former Zambian international, holds the record of scoring 25 league goals, scored in the 2004/05 season.
Former Zimbabwe international Wilfred Mugeyi, who banged 23 goals for the now-defunct Umtata Bush Bucks in the 19996/97 season, and ex-Moroka Swallows forward, Siyabonga Nomvete, who grabbed 20 goals during the 2011/12 campaign, were also lethal in front of goal.
– CAJ News
