Kickoff (Cape Town)
19 November 2008
Santos striker Eleazar Rodgers believes a change of fortunes is just around the corner for the struggling Cape Town club.
It would be a bit of a euphemism to say the People's Team have been inconsistent this season - they may have had one or two good results, but they have also been on the receiving end of a couple of real hidings - 5-0 to Bloemfontein Celtic and 4-1 against Platinum Stars spring to mind.
While the team have only taken a single point from their last two Premiership outings, there have been a couple of positives for Santos - they outplayed Sundowns in the second-half during the game in Cape Town and did not concede a goal in that match.
The team was also unlucky against Celtic in Bloemfontein on Sunday, as they were on the receiving end of a dubious refereeing decision and lost by a solitary goal against a side desperate to win.
"It's been very frustrating for us," Rodgers revealed to Kick Off ahead of the 20h00 kick-off against Maritzburg United at Athlone Stadium on Friday.
"I'm not accusing anyone, but it feels like someone has it in for us - there have been some very poor refereeing decisions going against us this season. We have had a lot of bookings for very insignificant incidents."
Rodgers has struggled to find the form he showed last season, when he formed a formidable partnership with Erwin Isaacs.
But the Mitchells Plain-born target-man is confident that the tide is about to turn for him and the team as a whole.
"I had a bit of a lapse in form early in the season, but I believe that I am playing much better now, my workrate is there, I just need to get on the scoresheet.
"The team is still confident - we believe in our ability and we are keeping our heads up and continuing to work hard at training, things will come right for us soon, we just need a little bit of luck."
Rodgers also confirmed that coach David Bright is still with the team, while Isaacs, who missed the Celtic game, was back at training this week.
Santos will face off against Maritzburg for only the sixth time in an official encounter on Friday evening.
Only one point separates the two teams on the Absa Premiership log. United sit one place above the Peoples' Team in 12th position.
Statistics suggest that in their short history against each other things are pretty evenly matched with both sides winning two games and the other being drawn.
The last time the Team of Choice came up against Santos was back in the 2006/07 season where the game ended in a goalless draw. However, prior to that game the People's Team thrashed Maritzburg 3-0 thanks to a hattrick from Erwin Isaacs.
Gordon Igesund's side will be low on confidence going into Friday's match as their fairytale story seems to have burst into flames as of late. Despite their good start to the season they have only managed to pick up single point in their last four League encounters.
Prior to Maritzburg's 2-2 draw against Platinum Stars in their last League match they had lost three games in a row conceding ten goals in total over those three games.
Overall United have the worst defensive record in the Absa Premiership, having let 16 goals past them. They have also only kept one clean sheet in their eight games.
Santos have not fared much better in defence. They have conceded 11 goals since the start of the League and have only picked up one point in their last three games.
Igesund will be looking to their top goal scorer Brice Aka, who currently has four goals in the League, to get his side back on track by picking up another couple of goals and leading his team to the three points.
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