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Cape Town’s Ajax returned to serious competition for promotion to the Premiership through the promotion / relegation playoffs with a 5-1 thrashing of Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM) in the Bidvest Stadium bio-bubble on Tuesday.
35-year-old veteran center forward Eleazar Rodgers scored a hat trick as all of Ajax’s goals came in an avalanche that buried TTM, who held a 1-0 lead at halftime, in the second half.
Ajax had also come from behind to beat Tshakuma 3-2 in the first game of the playoffs.
The Urban Warriors, former leaders of the GladAfrica Championship who left a lead to allow Swallows FC to win promotion as champions, are serious contenders for promotion again. The NFD runners-up have six points from three games, and can take a three-point lead if they beat the PSL Black Leopards finalists (currently six from two) in the next big playoff game at Rand Stadium on Friday.
If Ajax take that advantage, then they will be grateful for Tuesday’s onslaught of goals that left them with a +5 goal difference to the current +3 for Leopards.
TTM scored the only goal of a fairly even first half.
At 11 minutes, midfielder Tholang Masegela slipped on the right and crossed with the outside of his left boot. Defender Junior Sibande could only deflect a header into his own goal, the ball passed to forward Thembisani Nevhulamba to sweep on a volley. Ajax came out of the break pressing high and looking for goals, and their reward was three of them in six minutes, four in 17, and five in 22. A corner in 47 was taken by the skillful substitute of the first half Dale Wakefield ‚ making an impressive debut, whose cross was headed by Thendo Mukumela to force a strong save from TTM goalkeeper Tshepo Ramaela. The goalkeeper made a second block from another replacement, Khaya Mfecane, at the far post; Center-back Mukumela headed a third rebound off the crossbar and finally midfielder Siphesihle Mkhize entered.
If Ajax first took four bites of the cherry to get the ball into the net, the next two came from moves that opened TTM with the precision of a surgeon’s knife.
On Grant Margeman’s 50th pitch with his heel he put fullback Cohen Stander down the left, whose low center was met at the near post by Rodgers to beat Ramaela.
The same three players replicated that scoring triangle in the 53rd, Margeman again passed Stander down the left, who again crossed low, this time finding Rodgers at the far post to sweep Ajax’s third.
The fourth came on time, Wakefield’s chip over the area from left to right found winger Chumani Butsaka to catch and shoot Ramaela. The fifth came five minutes later, as TTM defender Lebohang Mabotja drove into the box and veteran Rodgers scored from the spot for his hat trick, and the sixth strike in five games.
