Bartlett hails fighting spirit of Arrows

Despite taking his team to the brink of promotion back to the Premier League, Lamontville Golden Arrows coach Shaun Bartlett was not showing any signs of celebration in the wake of the 3-2 win over fellow promotion hopefuls Thanda Royal Zulu on Wednesday.

Golden Arrows now just need a single point from their remaining two matches to make a swift return to the top-flight following their relegation at the end of the last campaign.

It will be a personal triumph for Bartlett too, who has shown himself to be among the most astute young managers in the country this season for the way he has rebuilt Abafana Bes’thende after they lost most of their big names following their demotion.

“This victory showed we have been working towards our goal with the discipline needed and that we do not need favors from anyone but continue to work as a team,” he said.

Bartlett admits his side were made to work though and again lauded their fighting spirit.

“Underestimating opposition had never been part of our vocabulary but once again our slow start to the game allowed Thanda to dominate possession in the first half and take the lead through a corner,” Bartlett said.

“Another well taken free-kick to equalise from Mabhuti Khenyeza brought us back into the game but a lapse of concentration gifted them the second goal through a in-swinging corner and miscalculation from our goalkeeper.

“Our fighting spirit and the will to win has been the foundation of this team and we again showed that we possessed that believe to come back every time we faced with difficult situations. Our second goal through Nkanyiso Cele came at the right time as it changed my teamtalk at halftime.

“The next goal in a game like this is always important and we fortunately applied enough pressure to get the lead and third goal through Zukile Mkhize.

“The last 15 minutes was a tense affair as Thanda really pushed us all the way and we defended for our lives and the victory we desperately needed.”

Golden Arrows lead the National First Division by six points from second-placed Jomo Cosmos. They in turn are four points ahead of Cape Town All Stars in the second promotion play-off place, with Black Leopards a point back and Thanda the only other likely side to make the playoffs two points behind.

Ndhlovu ineligible for Kitwe derby

Power Dynamos have revealed that their striker Jimmy Ndhlovu is ineligible to play in Sunday’s Kitwe derby against Nkana.

Ndhlovu, who leads the 2015 Faz Super League season top scorers charts with four goals after six rounds of games played, is currently on an extended loan deal from Nkana.

“Yes he will not play. Nkana FC revised the terms of the loan agreement and they put in a clause that states that Jimmy should not play when we meet them,” Power club secretary Ricky Mamfunda said on Wednesday night in Kitwe.

“The initial loan agreement expired at the end of the 2014 season. When the loan agreement was renewed, that clause was changed.”

Ndhlovu is currently in his second season on loan at Power after joining them just before the start of the 2014 Faz Super League kickoff in the midst of Nkana’s preliminary run in the Caf Champions League.

The striker featured over both legs of the 2014 derbies but failed to score.

Power drew 1-1 at Nkana last June and lost 2-1 at home later in October.

“But with all due respect this is an archaic rule but as Power Dynamos if we lose, we will lose honorably and we won’t come up with clauses that will disadvantage players,” Mamfunda said.

Meanwhile, Nkana have dominated Power over the last two seasons winning two and picking up as many draws.

Birds may regret home comforts

Moroka Swallows may well be cursing the fact that Friday’s crucial Premier League clash against Maritzburg United is being played in Dobsonville and not at the Harry Gwala Stadium … they have a much better record against the Team of Choice away from home.

Swallows will move off the bottom of the log if they get a point but likely need three to boost their survival hopes with just three games remaining in the season.

They are locked on 24 points with AmaZulu, but their inferior goal-difference means they are essentially a point behind. Maritzburg have a taste of a first ever top eight finish and victory for them would move the club to within a point of Bloemfontein Celtic in fifth.

But while Swallows have won three of their last four visits to Maritzburg, it is a completely different picture when Craig Rosslee’s side welcome the KwaZulu-Natal club to Soweto.

In that instance they have just a single win from the last four matches and have won none of the last three.

That probably has a lot to do with how Maritzburg play away from home, making themselves compact and difficult to break down.

But when at home, United tend to be more expansive and take more risks, allowing the opposition more of a chance to score.

Swallows themselves have managed more points on the road this season than at home.

Djabou ruled out for the season

Tunisian side, Club Africain, have announced their Algerian international player, Abdelmoumene Djabou, will be out for the rest of this season due to a serious injury.

The 12-time Tunisian champions revealed that the Algerian midfielder has damaged his Anterior Cruciate Ligament [ACL].

"The X-ray showed that Djabou has torn his ACL in his left knee and he will be out till the end of the season," Club Africain announced.

Djabou's injury is a big blow for Club Africain as the 28-year-old is one of their key players, who they depend on to win the Tunisian league this season.

The midfielder started his career in 2005 with Algerian side, ES Setif, before he moved on a loan to MC El Eulma and USM El Harrach.

Club Africain are top of the Tunisian league with 53 points but hold a better goal difference than second-placed Esperance who are on same points with them.

Keeper apologises to injured Lewandowski

Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Mitchell Langerak has apologised to former team-mate Robert Lewandowski after their goal-mouth collision left the Bayern Munich striker with a fractured cheekbone, nose and concussion.

Ex-Dortmund forward Lewandowski, who has scored 23 goals in his first season with Bayern, finished the match as a dazed figure and spent the night in a Munich hospital following a collision with Langerak in extra time during Dortmund's German Cup semi-final win in Munich.

German daily Bild report Langerak sent Lewandowski a text message to apologise and says he hopes the Poland striker will be able to face Barcelona in the Champions League's semi-final next Wednesday.

"Robert and I are friends and of course I am sorry for what happened," said Australia international Langerak, who was outstanding against Bayern.

"I hope he can play as soon as possible.

"Anyone who knows me knows it wasn't intentional and that I wanted to clear the ball."

Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is hopeful Lewandowski will play with a mask at Barcelona's Camp Nou.

"I am pretty convinced it will happen. He will have an individual mask made and that should ensure he will play against Barcelona," Rummenigge told Bavarian radio B5 Aktuell.

He was also positive about French winger Franck Ribery's chances of facing the Spanish giants after missing their last 10 matches with an ankle injury.

"We hope he can at least make the squad on Wednesday," Rummenigge added. "Our doctors are working day and night to make this possible."

Oladuntoye out for five weeks

Kwara United have suffered a big blow this term in the Glo Premier League, as the Warriors will now be without their experienced defender, Isiaka Oladuntoye for five weeks.

Oladuntoye suffered a knee ligament injury in training when United went for a closed camp in Ijebu-Ode before losing at home to Heartland in their NPFL week 4 duel.

He was expected to be back for Kwara United for their match day 5 encounter at 3SC, but he could not as the pain on his leg ruled him out.

The erstwhile Kaduna United defender has now revealed to supersport.com that he would be out of action for a minimum of five weeks.

“I have gone to hospital, and the doctor said I have to allow the wound to heal, and he said it would take up to five weeks before I would be able to train.

“I am not happy with this injury I picked up, because I want to help my team, but I have no choice as I believe my teammates will cover up for me,” Oladuntoye said to supersport.com

Last season, Oladuntoye was instrumental for Kwara United as he played virtually all the games that steered the Harmony Warriors back to the Glo Premier League.

Kwara United will face current league champions, Kano Pillars this Sunday in Ilorin, and Oladuntoye said his teammates would win the game.

“I would have loved to play against Kano Pillars this weekend, but I can't and I would make sure I support my teammates for them to beat Pillars here in Ilorin,”

Boateng slams 'careless' Bayern

Jerome Boateng says Bayern Munich must improve for Wednesday's Champions League semifinal, first-leg, at Barcelona or not bother travelling to Spain following their "careless" German Cup exit.

Bayern's dreams of repeating their 2013 treble of European, league and cup titles this season were ended when they were knocked out of the German Cup semi-finals on Tuesday by Borussia Dortmund on penalties.

The defeat came just two days after winning the Bundesliga title.

Having taken a first-half lead through Robert Lewandowski, Bayern dominated until the 70th minute when Dortmund brought on attacking midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

The visitors created a string of chances leading to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's late equaliser which took the game to extra-time and Bayern failed to convert any of their four spot-kicks in the shoot-out.

Boateng said they can ill afford anything less than a top performance at the Camp Nou against the Spanish league leaders, with the return leg on May 12.

"Barcelona are one of the best teams in the world and we'll need a top performance," Boateng told football magazine Kicker.

"If we play like we did after the 70th minute against Dortmund, then there is no need for us to even go to Barcelona.

"Dortmund came back into the game and we gifted them the chance to play in the final.

"How many chances did they have up until 1-1? None.

"We are too careless. We have to defend and attack again as a team. We make too many mistakes when we take the lead.

"We give the ball away too quickly, play too many long balls and are too lax.

"We had a big chance against Dortmund and I am bitter about how things worked out as it didn't have to be that way."

The loss to Dortmund was only Bayern's fifth defeat in 45 games this season.