Royal AM out to spoil SuperSport party

Royal AM coach Sazi Ngubane says his players know what is at stake heading to their DStv Diski Challenge final match against title hopefuls SuperSport United.

The two sides will lock horns at Mpumalanga Stadium in Hammardsale with two different goals.

The kickoff is set for 12h00 CAT.

Royal AM are chasing a top-eight finish while SuperSport needs a win at all costs and hopes Stellenbosch FC loses their match to win the league.

SuperSport are second in the log with 59 points. They are two points behind log leaders Stellenbosch FC who needs a draw in their match against TS Galaxy to win their first-ever Diski Challenge title.

“It is not about spoiling the party for them but working towards our goal,” Ngubane said.

“This was our first season in the Diski Challenge, and we fared well. Started the campaign well but as the games went by, we dropped you could see we did not have a pre-season. But now we have to win the last match to finish in the top eight which will be an achievement for us.”

Royal AM are in position eight on the log with 39 points from 28 matches. In the ninth spot, there’s AmaZulu with 38 points, followed by Maritzburg United with 38 points.

Ngubane’s side needs maximum points against SuperSport to secure a top-eight finish, or else they could be kicked out by one of the two KwaZulu-Natal sides behind them.

“The last match is more like a final. We know that if we lose or draw that will see us missing out in what we targeting which is the top eight. And we cannot afford that,” added Ngubane.

However, with the current SuperSport run of nine straight wins, Royal AM will not have it easy. SuperSport are also looking to set a new record of 10 consecutive wins in the Diski Challenge.

SuperSport coach Thabo September admitted it would hurt to lose the title in the final match, but he remains proud of his team, considering they were 10th at the end of the first round. But they were able to fight back and challenge for the title when no one gave them a chance.

“There are many positives that we take from this season. We had more than six players that went on to the first team from this Diski Challenge squad. I am proud of how far we have got with this team. Losing will hurt but we fought this season.”