Eagles still believe they can win play-offs – Ngubane

Royal Eagles coach Sazi Ngubane insists they have not yet given up on their dream of Absa Premiership football next season, despite the odds heavily stacked against them making it.

The National First Division (NFD) side host Maritzburg United in a must-win Premier Soccer League Promotion/Relegation Play-Off match on Wednesday and even three points will leave them relying on other results to have a chance of reaching the top-flight league.

They need a good win with some goals in Chatsworth and must also hope Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM) can beat the Team of Choice on Saturday to stand a chance. Ngubane says they still believe.

That last result Ngubane was referring to was a crippling 2-1 loss to TTM in Thohoyandou over the weekend.

The Durban side trailed 2-0 inside the first four minutes following a woeful start and that ultimately lead to a result that heavily put Maritzburg in the driving seat.

The side from the KwaZulu-Natal capital have a maximum of six points from the mini-league, with the two NFD teams on three points apiece. Ngubane was disappointed by what happened in Limpopo.

Eagles had started the play-offs well when they beat TTM in the first game, but they then lost a crucial game 1-0 away at Maritzburg, a match the coach was forced to miss due to a family bereavement.

Even though they had chances in that match, they failed to take them, while they also bemoaned some of the refereeing decisions from Victor Gomes.

Back in their own back yard, Ngubane feels it will be a level playing field, although acknowledging it could go either way due to the fact that the match was a derby. Report by Thahir Asmal