Richards Bay defeated Moroka Swallows 1-0 at the Dobsonville Stadium on Friday evening to end their long winless drought in the DStv Premiership.
A goal early in the second half from Justice Figuareido not only handed the Natal Rich Boys a first win of the season, but ended a 19-game wait for a victory in the Premiership which stretched back all the way to January of this year.
Bay remained in 15th (second-last) on the log, though they have now opened up a five-point gap over Cape Town Spurs and the direct relegation slot.
As for the Birds, this second defeat of the season leaves them in sixth place on the log with seven points.
Swallows had the first shot in anger when Tshegofatso Mabasa let fly with the left foot from just outside the penalty area in the 14th minute, but his effort skidded wide of the mark.
That chance indicated the Birds’ general dominance through the first quarter of the match, but Bay grew in confidence as the minutes ticked on and they should have claimed the lead shortly before the break.
BIZARRE INCIDENTS
Justice Figuareido fired off a fine shot from the right of the penalty area which forced a great save from Swallows goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi – the resulting loose ball fell perfectly for Sanele Barns at the far post, but the forward somehow missed an open goal from just a couple of metres out.
However, the Natal Rich Boyz broke the deadlock 10 minutes into the second half, with Figuareido controlling a cross from Barns before evading a challenge from Kwanda Mngonyama and firing beyond Akpeyi for 1-0.
Figuareido almost capitalised on a mistake from Mngonyama on 69 minutes, but Swallows’ defence recovered quickly enough to prevent him having a clear chance, and his low shot ended up being saved with relative comfort by Akpeyi.
Swallows almost levelled the game on 83 minutes, with a bizarre series of incidents seeing Bay goalkeeper Salim Magoola tipping Keenan Phillips’s cross onto the frame of the goal, before the ball ricocheted off the far post and onto the head of attacker Gabadinho Mhango, who somehow put it over the crossbar from no more than a few centimetres out.
In injury time, Bay nearly closed out the game via substitute Yanela Mbuthuma, who saw a half-blocked effort strike one post, roll along the goal line and rebound to safety off the other post, while the hosts also saw Phillips miss a great headed chance shortly thereafter.
The teams will return to DStv Premiership action next midweek, with Swallows away to Stellenbosch FC and Bay at home to Chippa United.
Moroka Swallows 0
Richards Bay (0) 1 (Figuareido 55’)
SWALLOWS: Akpeyi, Phillips, Sibiya, Mngonyama (Zuma 90+4’), Sam, Makhubela, Mthethwa, Mtshali, Malinga (Jali 56’), Mhango, Mabasa
BAY: Magoola, Dlamini, Banda, Dube, Mabua, Komane, Mhlongo (Miya 74’), Figuareido, Mohomi (Mabaso 60’), Barns (Mbuthuma 87’), Ntsundwana (Maphate 87’)
