Greg Afrika chairperson of Emthanjeni LFA seen at an unrelated football event in Galeshewe. File Picture: Neville Motlhabakwe
NORTHERN Cape based Richmond United Ladies are still in the reckoning for top club status in the Hollywoodbets Super League and confirmed this with a 1-all draw against the University of Johannesburg Ladies side last weekend.
That result, from what was United Ladies’ fifth match in the renamed national women’s league, put the Northern Cape side within a breath of the conference’s top eight circle at position nine on the 16-member team log.
What is significant about that result is that it was a rare draw result away for Richmond against what would normally be tough opposition on the road. That last result tops up a proper 4-1 win for Richmond over Vasco Da Gama earlier on May 11 in De Aar.
Richmond generally blows hot and cold from match to match. A week before meeting Vasco Da Gama Richmond had themselves been drubbed 2-0 by Coal City Wizards who had hosted them at Emalahleni (Witbank) on May 7.
That result from Emalahleni is in stark contrast to the 7-2 drubbing lesson that Richmond had dished out to a seemingly hapless First Touch FC also in De Aar on April 30. The week prior to playing against Polokwane-based First Touch Academy Richmond had probably taken the biggest loss in the league via Janine Van Wyk FC who put 10 goals past them for two measly goals in response. That happened in Johannesburg on April 23.
The women’s league itself has this season ballooned to the full complement of 16 teams which now matches the men’s Premier Soccer League. The women’s league had started out with an under-count of eight teams and no sponsor about two decades ago. Hollywoodbets assumed the titular sponsor responsibilities last May and acquired the naming rights to the women’s league.
Of late the team coach Edward Lisene who often doubles as the team spokesperson from the far flung Richmond town, had for reasons unknown been incommunicado.
A check with the resident Emthanjeni LFA management where Richmond comes from Greg Afrika revealed that the Richmond club was still well and that coach Lisene was on duty.
The LFA chairman further revealed that Lisene’s technical team had recently been reinforced with the signing of a goalkeeper coach by Richmond Ladies.
In the last two weeks of this month of May Richmond Ladies is scheduled to host Tsunami Queens at De Aar’s Merino Park. On May 28 they will be away to Bloemfontein Celtics which is, coincidentally, the club coach Lisene mentored before joining Richmond Ladies.