Staff Reporter.
The top-four teams in the GladAfrica Championship are separated by only five points going into game week 25, while the situation remains just as tight at the other end of the table.
University of Pretoria have a chance to replace Richards Bay at the league summit when they lock horns at the Tuks Stadium on Wednesday.
AmaTuks beat rock-bottom TS Sporting 2-1 at the same venue in the previous game week to extend their unbeaten run to seven matches and maintain the one-point gap to the league leaders. The Hammer Boys halted a sequence of three successive draws with a 2-0 victory over Cape Town All Stars.
In the only other fixture taking place on Wednesday, Platinum City Rovers will look to keep their promotion hopes alive when they welcome TTM to Olen Park.
Rovers (35) are five points off the top three in sixth position after they held Venda Football Academy to a goalless draw in Thohoyandou last time out to make it three games without defeat. Vhadau Vha Damani arrested a two-match losing streak when they triumphed 2-1 against Free State Stars to move up one place to 12th in the table.
Meanwhile, Venda Football Academy will attempt to keep in touch with the frontrunners when they entertain Cape Town Spurs at the Thohoyandou Stadium on Tuesday.
VFA (38) are five points off the summit in fourth spot after going unbeaten in their last four encounters, while the Urban Warriors climbed up to 11th place courtesy of a 1-0 win over Pretoria Callies in Athlone to pull seven points clear of the relegation zone.
Fifth plays sixth when Cape Town All Stars host Polokwane City at Athlone Stadium. Igugu Lekapa (37) are just one point clear of Rise And Shine, who drew 1-1 with fellow promotion hopefuls JDR Stars to stretch their winless run to four games.
A massive three points will be up for grabs when TS Sporting take on Black Leopards at the Kabokweni Stadium.
Abantu Bemthetho are rooted to the foot of the table on 21 points after failing to pick up a win in their previous five matches and losing their last three, while Lidoda Duvha (23) climbed out of the relegation zone up to 14th spot following a 2-0 victory against Jomo Cosmos in Thohoyandou.
Jomo Cosmos will look to take advantage of Free State Stars’ poor run of form when they square off at Goble Park.
Ezenkosi (21) have recorded just two wins from their last 10 outings to remain entrenched in the relegation mire in 15th position, two points adrift of safety. Ea Lla Koto have dropped to ninth in the standings after going five games without a win and losing two of their last three.
Elsewhere, Hungry Lions play host to Pretoria Callies at Tafel Lager Park looking to bounce back from a 2-1 defeat to Uthongathi. The Romans are just four points off the bottom two in 13th place after the defeat to Spurs left them winless in two matches.
Supersport contributed in this report.