Friday Night Lights: The Maritzburg United edition

27 Mar 2020

Maritzburg United have punched way above their weight this season — partly due to their impressive home record on Friday nights.

It seems like eons ago since Maritzburg United set an impressive and unique record of 20 games unbeaten in all competitions at home, specifically on a Friday night.

The Team of Choice set this record on Friday 6 March 2020. They pipped Polokwane City 1-0 on that particular Friday, thanks to a Daylon Claasen header.

Overrated for who ? https://t.co/U0ekY6HSlw

— Maritzburg United FC (@MaritzburgUtd) March 6, 2020

Following that win, the Premier Soccer League (PSL) announced an indefinite sabbatical for all football related activity in the country, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

That 20th home win was a movie PSL fans had seen time and again, but one they were not tired of. Not unless it was their team being bamboozled at Harry Gwala Stadium, of course.

The last time the team from KwaZulu Natal’s capital city lost a Friday night home game was on 29 September 2017, when they were edged 0-1 by Free State Stars.

Surprisingly, they built on the record even in the 2018/19 season, when they escaped relegation by the skin of their teeth.

Outside of the Friday night record, United have had an impressive 2020/21 thus far.

Coach Eric Tinkler has ensured his team are an attacking and fearless unit, playing with verve and fluidity.

Tinkler came into the job in January 2019 following the sacking of Turkish coach Muhsin Ertugral in December 2018.

He found a team deep in crisis and rooted to the bottom of the Absa Premiership log having collected just 11 points from 18 games.

In his first half-season, Tinkler did his best to put out the fires that plagued the team at the time and worked to restore the fighting spirit he had seen when the KwaZulu-Natal outfit finished a record-high fourth place the season before — then under the tutelage of Fadlu Davids.

Tinkler succeeded, just. In that 2018/19 season, Maritzburg finished in 15th position on the log, tied on 27 points with Free State Stars. The axe fell on Stars, however, as an inferior goal difference saw them drop into the GladAfrica Championship. Maritzburg went to the relegation playoffs.

In the playoffs, the Team of Choice recorded four wins out of four to preserve their spot in the top flight of South African football.

The team has since built on momentum that appeared to have been ignited by the relegation scare.

While the spotlight has been on table-topping Kaizer Chiefs, as well as chasers like Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates and Supersport United, the pride of Pietermaritzburg have gone about their business stealthily.

With 24 games having been played, they currently sit fifth on the log, one point adrift of Supersport and Pirates, who have accumulated 40 points each. And they have a realistic opportunity to secure a top-three finish, which would be their highest.

Some have argued that the Friday night record is not so impressive, considering that Maritzburg do not play the so-called big teams under lights.

However, Tinkler’s men have shown they are not afraid to go toe to toe with the big boys, Friday night or not. Just ask Chiefs, who were bundled out of the Telkom Knockout semi-finals at the back end of 2019. This was before Maritzburg controversially succumbed to Sundowns in the final of that competition.

The big teams surely know they would never have it easy on a raucous Friday night at Harry Gwala.

It is uncertain when the Covid-19 outbreak will be brought under control, or what damage it will leave behind.

What is certain is that many avid followers of the PSL will be pining to once again watch Maritzburg United bob and weave before landing that knockout blow in front of an enthralled crowd at Harry Gwala Stadium. DM

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