Swallows all but safe, though Nyatama remains guarded

Swallows all but safe, though Nyatama remains guarded

Swallows FC coach Musa Nyatama remains guarded, insisting celebrations would be premature, despite a huge win over Maritzburg United that edged them closer to safety.

The Dube Birds are three points closer to DStv Premiership survival following a crucial 1-0 victory over their direct rivals at Dobsonville Stadium last night.

REPORT: Swallows bag vital win over Maritzburg

Swallows leaped into 12th place and now have 31 points – viewed in the fraternity as potentially the magic number for survival.  

But with fixtures against Kaizer Chiefs, Royal AM and Marumo Gallants remaining, Nyatama refuses to drop his guard.

"We cannot entirely say we're safe, we still have three more important games that we still need to play in a short space of time [starting] next week Monday," the 35-year-old told reporters after the match.

"We have Kaizer Chiefs, who have done well – we saw their result, they played well away against Chippa, so that will be a tough encounter.

"But we're just taking it one game at a time, and we know it's not going to be easy in Polokwane, but ja, we'll just go there and fight."

Swallows now know that just five more points from their remaining three matches will be enough to secure their status for next season, with Maritzburg and 15th-placed Chippa United only able to reach a total of 34 and 35 points respectively.