Sanele Barns scored a late goal as Richards Bay beat AmaZulu to pick up a very important three points on Tuesday night.
The 2-1 win for the Natal Rich Boyz was a huge result in the battle to avoid automatic relegation from the DStv Premiership, especially after bottom club Cape Town Spurs conceded an injury time own goal to lose their game against Polokwane City 1-0.
This was after things had looked differently for both teams at half time of Tuesday’s games.
At the break, AmaZulu held a slender 1-0 lead, while the other game between Spurs and Polokwane City was level. As things stood, the gap between bottom and second-from-bottom would be cut to just four points.
But, the football gods can sometimes be cruel.
Justice Figuareido equlised in the 69th minute for Richards Bay, and Barns’ goal with four minutes of regulation time left ensured they claimed all three points from the encounter.
In Athlone, the Urban Warriors looked like they had done enough to earn a draw. After winning their game on the weekend against Richards Bay, a point on Wednesday would have given them a massive platform in their survival fight.
But, Ernst Middendorp’s men walked away from the game with nothing, and now trail their relegation rivals by eight points. With four games left to play in the season, Cape Town Spurs are now swimming against the tide.
IOL Sport