Despite remaining at the bottom of the DStv Premiership table with four games remaining, Maritzburg United coach Fadlu Davids insists they won’t give up in their bid to survive automatic relegation this season.
The 1-1 draw against Richards Bay on Friday at Harry Gwala Stadium left them in danger with 25 points from 26 matches following an injury time equaliser from Genino Palace, cancelling out Sanele Barns’s opener to rescue a point.
With two upcoming matches against Swallows away on Thursday and Marumo Gallants on May 3 at home, teams they are fighting relegation with, Davids said six points was non–negotiable for his side.
“Six points in our next two games is clear, but let’s first focus on the next one. We will analyse them, and getting three points against Swallows is vital first,“ Davids said.
“Not losing this game was very important to give us confidence and we will take the momentum to the next game.
“One thing for sure is that we will not give up. For the remaining matches, we will give everything to get the three points.
“The draw has given us the motivation to push and we could have got the winner with the pressure we were putting them in.”
Davids, who is under pressure to change things around, also feels all is not lost and that their fate could be determined in the next two matches.
“We have had good performances, it’s just that we are not getting results. When you play well and create chances like this game and you can’t get results, you can’t feel sorry for yourself, you just have to continue to push and fight for the next one and that’s what we are going to do,” he said.
“We play Swallows and Marumo now as our direct competitors and it’s still in our hands.”
Meanwhile, Swallows lost 0–3 to Stellenbosch away in the other match on Saturday, and will be looking to bounce back to winning ways against the Team of Choice as they are also not safe from relegation.
Fixtures
Tomorrow: Sundowns v Bay, Loftus Versfeld 3pm.
Thursday: Chippa v Chiefs, Nelson Mandela Bay 3pm: Swallows v Maritzburg, Dobsonville 5.30pm.
Saturday: Royal v CPT, Chatsworth 3pm: Stellenbosch v Arrows, Danie Craven 5.30pm: AmaZulu v Sekhukhune, Moses Mabhida 8pm.
Sunday: Galaxy v Pirates, Mbombela 3pm.
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