After sharing the spoils with Hollywoodbets Regional League log leaders Rangers FC in a 1–1 draw, Alex Black Poison’s prospects of closing in on second-placed Gomtown Boyz FC have been shattered, even if Gomtown fails to win any of its remaining fixtures.

The Saturday draw, at the 3 Square Sports Stadium, dealt a heavy blow to coach Eric Paul’s hopes of closing off this season in a better position than last year, when they finished third on the log.

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Reflecting on the match, Paul appeared less frustrated than usual with his side’s performance. Instead, he spoke with a faint smile and a tone of acceptance, noting that Black Poison did what they had to do.

“There are games we should have won, but we did not. So, I am not going to say we hope somebody loses. It is on us.”

For much of the first and second half, the game leaned towards Black Poison, owing to their 1–0 lead after Sihle Shange opened the scoring in the first 45 minutes. In the second half, however, their lead was short-lived, as they conceded what Paul described as an unnecessary penalty, which Rangers’ Gabriel Madu converted to level the score at 1–1.

Black Poison still had ample opportunities to take the lead back, but they squandered them. In one instance, Rulph Mphahlele broke into the Rangers’ penalty area, but the ball fell within the keeper’s reach. “This season, we played eight draws.

This is our ninth. In 99% of those draws, it’s teams coming from behind, recovering because of our own mistakes after we missed so many scoring chances.”

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Not only did the draw put Black Poison out of the race for second position, but it also dropped them to fourth place after Westbury Munich FC, which was trailing by just a single point, thrashed Vossies FC 7–0 in Westbury on Saturday.

Westbury now sits third on the log with 61 points, while Black Poison has 60 points in fourth.

Paul said their objective was to secure the maximum 12 points, or at least 10, from their last four games of the season. In their last two fixtures, they collected four points, and now, with two games left, only six points remain up for grabs, not enough to get them over the line.

Despite the setback, Paul remains confident they are still on track to claim those remaining points.

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