Golden Syrup have advanced to the ABC Motsepe League after winning the SAFA Hollywood Bets Regional Provincial play-offs.
It was a day when heroes where born, a day when Thlothlokwe Golden Syrup won the South African Football Association (SAFA) Hollywood Bets Men’s Regional Provincial play-offs amid scenes of unconfined delirium.
The triumphant Mopani-based outfit produced a volcanic display of classical brand of football to snatch a 2-0 victory over Royal Pirates who were playing on their home turf in Sekhukhune.
Their long-overdue feat on July 28 means Golden Syrup will gain promotion to the Limpopo ABC Motsepe League alongside with Royal Pirates and P&S Academy from the Waterberg district.
Meanwhile, FC Basel and Inter FC from Vhembe and Capricorn, will continue to campaign in the regional tier, having finished fourth and fifth respectively.
The visiting party, Golden Syrup, demonstrated an extraordinary flair of a focused exuberance that that has come down like rain on the parched sporting hopes of the hinterlands.
Playing in front of a hostile crowd was not an amicable reception for the visitors as they were constantly booed by the home fans.
But Golden Syrup, as team manager Stanley Mabulana puts it in a nutshell, was the nature of the cutthroat business of football.
“The boys went to Sekhukhune chockful of pomp and zeal. They were hungry for success after several failed attempts. Disappointment was definitely not in their bodies and souls. This was evidenced by the manner in which they executed their game plan on the field of play. They played like men possessed and that paid off significantly” said Mabulana.
Asked whether the team will institute wholesale changes to overhaul the squad when the new campaign starts, Mabulana was noncommittal.
He said “It’s still early to elaborate on the matter relating to team changes. We are currently in a celebratory mood and will cross that bridge when we arrive at it. What I can confirm is that there will be a meeting between team management and the technical staff where we will map a way forward.”
Mabulana praised club owners, the Moremi family for their astute leadership and dedication for the development of the team.
Mabulana said “Club boss Brown Moremi and his son, Thabo have been instrumental in making sure that this team progresses and now we are collectively reaping seeds of their hard work.”
He said the team’s recent achievement is been celebrated in various parts of Mopani region and the support base is envisaged to grow by leaps and bounds.