Hunt's Leopards in Classic early season leap

Classic (0) 0

Black Leopards (1) 3

Ratshivhelo 44, 79; Dagada 59

On the evidence of Sunday's Castle League match at the Tembisa Stadium, it is clear that Classic are early favourites for the drop to the lower division while rookies Black Leopards appear to be in the elite division to stay.

The new boys from Venda are sitting pretty at the top of the league championship table with nine points from three matches. Although the season is still in its early days, they have brought a breath of fresh air with their non-stop attacking style of play.

For the third time in as many weeks, Classic displayed elementary errors in defence and were punished.

Defender David Malatule is likely to be given a severe tongue-lashing from coach Khabo Zondo as his lapse in concentration cost the team dearly.

In the midweek encounter against Kaizer Chiefs, Malatule failed to read the situation as danger signals flashed and the club were punished.

On Sunday, he clumsily cluttered into Mukhondo Shikh-wivhi and conceded a silly penalty from which Classic never recovered.

But Malatule alone cannot shoulder the blame for Zondo's side, which overall did not have an answer to the raw power, aggression and commitment shown by the men from the far north.

Leopards may be inexperienced as far as professional football is concerned but they more than made up for it with their courage and fitness, which saw them never stop running until the final whistle.

Former Hellenic coach Gavin Hunt, who took over the reins at Leopards at the start of the season, has instilled an impressive fighting spirit in the team.

Although football has changed tactically, with a variety of systems applied in the modern game, they continue to operate with the old-fashioned 4-3-3 system, switching to 4-4-2 with ease.

The warning bells rang out in the third minute for Classic when Japhet Mabosho headed fractionally wide from a well- worked movement initiated by Christopher Netshivheli, with goalkeeper Idah Peterside off balance.

Leopards kept up their patient probing, covering lots of space and using their wings to good effect. They were duly rewarded when Ratshivhelo outjumped the complacent opposition defence to nod past Idah Peterside in the 44th minute.

Earlier, Peterside was exposed by his defence and had to pull off a world class save from Shikhwivhi's header that seemed destined for the near corner in the 19th minute and Classic fans sighed with relief.

How Classic failed to realise that Leopards concentrated their attacks along the right flank remains a mystery, as they were exposed in this area four minutes into the second half when Malatule clumsily felled a charging Shikhwivhi.

There were no arguments about the decision and Mpho Dagada gave Peterside no chance to double the visitors' lead.

With managing director Vincent Twala watching from the stands, Classic pulled their act together and showed signs of their three-year experience in the elite division as they held possession for a brief spell.

However, their inability to find their way to the opposition goal area proved their downfall.

Classic never looked like scoring and when Ben Mandlazi beat Joel Masutha, only to see his goal-bound shot scrambled off the line by Godfrey Ramudzuli, it simply emphasised the fact that they are on a downward slide.

Mukhondo Shikhwivhi put the issue beyond doubt when Classic failed to clear their lines and Netshivheli put in a curling cross which Ratshivhelo buried under the diving Peterside with a fine header in the 79th minute to give the far north side an early season haul of maximum points.