Jonty Mark

By Jonty Mark

Football Editor


Wits have to find that spark again

Lightning intervened the last time Bidvest Wits were supposed to play Black Leopards, and the Clever Boys could do with a spark of a different kind in their rescheduled Absa Premiership clash this evening.


The Clever Boys badly need an injection of life into their attack if they are to mount any sort of title challenge, with their hopes of catching Kaizer Chiefs at the top of the table stalling rather badly in recent weeks.

READ: Chiefs defender praises AmaZulu stand-in coach Josephs

Wits have taken the idea that games in hand are not guaranteed points a little too literally, in winning just one of their last six matches, losing at home to Maritzburg United and away to SuperSport United and Cape Town City, while drawing at home to Highlands Park and most recently, Chippa United.

In all of those five games, the Clever Boys have scored exactly twice, in a 2-2 draw with Highlands Park. It is not exactly form to inspire, though Wits have also reached the quarterfinals of the Nedbank Cup, and such are the vagaries of this league, that if they can win their two games in hand on leaders Kaizer Chiefs, will find themselves only seven points behind Amakhosi, with eight matches left to play in the season.

In Leopards, meanwhile, Wits have opponents that they should dispose of comfortably enough, wallowing in a mess right at the bottom of the table, three straight defeats leaving them three points off 15th-placed AmaZulu, a brief recovery under caretaker coach Allan Clark quickly evaporating in two straight Limpopo derby defeats to Polokwane City and Baroka FC.

Wits’ have yet to play Leopards this season, with a return match scheduled for Thohoyandou on 6 May. By then Wits will hope to still be in the title running, and Leopards will hope to have somehow scrambled clear of the drop.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.

Read more on these topics

bidvest wits Black Leopards