Alex United’s first division dream shattered

The now-or-never attitude that characterised Alex United all season in their quest for promotion collapsed in the final stages of the Safa Second Division League.

United were pipped to a spot in the promotional play-offs for the National First Division League by their arch-rivals, Highlands Park, who had been trailing them all season. The Hope City Giants, as United are affectionately known to their loyal fans in Alexandra, had thought the league was in the bag.

The loss of the dream came when United met their rivals in the second last game of the season at Balfour Park Stadium on 7 June. As the two teams were separated by a mere two points, United, which was still leading the pack, badly needed to win the Highland Park clash.

They went into that game poised for a win, but it was not to be, as they were beaten 2-0. Highlands Park went on to win their last game of the season, and sealed not just their own fate but also that of United.

The high-flying United team were thus doomed, and their dream of being part of the promotional plays-offs in the hope of gaining promotion to the first division was shattered.

“I guess we went into the Highlands Park game badly needing a win and that somehow worked against us,” said United coach Madida Letele.

“Maybe after topping the league for the entire season, we became over-confident and told ourselves the clash would be an easy walk in the park. We were caught napping and our dream went horribly wrong.”

Asked what the way forward was now, Letele said it was back to the drawing board. “The entire team and technical staff are currently on holiday and hoping to recover from that shock.

“We shall regroup soon after the holiday and map our way forward – but we might have to develop a fresh squad as most of our players are on the wanted list of various teams, especially Mamelodi Sundowns.”