'Golden point' for Thanda

2008-05-11 22:12

Johannesburg - It was described by their officials as a point "worth its weight in goal" after relegation-embattled Thanda Royal Zulu had drawn 1-1 with Santos at the Mpumelanga Stadium in Hammarsdale on Sunday afternoon.

And when it comes to splashing out nuggets of gold - or their equivalent in order to achieve a soccer stature - the team whose ownership is embedded in Swedish connections is not averse to buying success and also avoiding failure.

Thanda Royal, it will be recalled, only enjoy Premier League status by virtue of buying the Benoni Premier United franchise and their latest financial innovation in order to preserve this asset has emerged in the acquisition for the remainder of the season of Gordon Igesund, the coach with a Midas Touch, as a technical adviser.

And Igesund, sitting in the stands alongside suspended coach Roger Palmgrem, was as vocal as anyone in the stadium as Ivorian striker Serge Djiehoua scored the all-important 72nd minute equaliser with a somewhat soft goal that Wayne Roberts should have saved.

Santos, in the process, effectively surrendered the slim chance they had of joining SuperSport United and Ajax Cape Town as PSL championship contenders going into the last two round of fixtures.

The Cape Town club had gained an early ascendancy through a penalty goal from Eleazer Rodgers following a reckless tackle in only the fifth minute.

But Santos gradually lost their momentum and finally appeared quite happy with a draw as Thanda Royal sensed the prospect of a victory in the closing stages when they appealed in vain for a penalty of their own.

Nevertheless, the KwaZulu club are now two points better off than Black Leopards and with an advantage of three points over bottom-of-the-log Jomo Cosmos and the point they earned that was "worth its weight in gold" could well prove just that in the final reckoning.

- SAPA