THE NATIONAL First Division will resume this weekend with one round of fixtures before the Fifa break from 20-31 March.
There were no NFD games last weekend as eight of the teams participated in Nedbank Cup matches.
With 20 NFD games played so far this season Thanda Royal Zulu are still leading the pack with 41 points, but the Richards Bay based outfit have found it difficult to build on their first round momentum. They have only collected six points in five second round matches.
Thanda were also beaten for the first time this season by Mthatha Bucks and have only won one match in the second round.
Thanda had gone 15 games without defeat in the first round. But it seems teams have since done their research on how to stop them.
Thanda dropping points has opened up the promotion race, with no fewer than eight teams in with a chance to win the NFD title.
Two of these are Jomo Cosmos, fifth in the table with 30 points, and Stellenbosch FC, one point above them. Cosmos host Stellenbosch at Tsakane Stadium on Sunday (3.30pm).
Ezenkosi captain Frederic Nsabiyumva says they are mentally fit and the breaks won’t affect their momentum. Rather it will give them more time to improve their weak points.
“The league race begins now, with 10 games to go. We are fifth and on the right track, there’s no need to panic.
“In the games still left we will play against teams above us in the standings and we must collect points to pave our way to the top. But we need to up our levels of concentration in our games,” said Nsabiyumva.
Another interesting game at the weekend is the relegation battle between Santos and Magesi FC at Athlone Stadium also on Sunday.
The two teams are separated by a single point. Santos are at the bottom of the table with 15 points, while Magesi are 15th with 16 points.