Somehow seemingly, somethings do not change in Varsity Football. Tomorrow in Mafeking when UP-Tuks takes to the field to play Northwest it is again going to be a do or die battle for both teams. 

UP-Tuks needs to bounce back after suffering a 4-0 thrashing against UJ last week during a home game. In the three games played so far, they only managed to win one, which means they are languishing second from the bottom of the log. 

Northwest also got only one win after three matches. The benchmark to get to the semi-finals is considered to be 14 points, so both teams are under pressure to start winning.

Interestingly before last year's Varsity clash, the same two teams found them in pretty much the same predicament needing to win to stay in contention for the playoffs.  UP-Tuks turned out to be the victors winning 2-0.

One of the biggest concerns for UP-Tuks is undoubtedly the way they keep on fluffing scoring opportunities. So far, they only managed to score two goals. Both in one game. 

Hopefully, the return of the lanky Chinedu Okolo will make a difference. During last year's Varsity campaign, he was one of the team's top goal scorers.  It could be said he kept a "cool head" when it mattered. Managing to head the ball into the back of the net at crucial moments. 

Okolo, who was sidelined by a back injury, admits being excited to be playing again. 

Katlego Motlhatsang, who received the player of the match award in the game against UWC, is confident that he and his teammates are going to start to turn things around. According to him, last week 4-0 defeat against UJ was not a true reflection of what happened on the field. 

"We did not play badly. The big difference was that UJ managed to make the most of their scoring opportunities, and we did not." 

When pushed as to why the UP-Tuks strikers battled to put the ball into the back of the net, Motlhatsang said that it should be remembered that the team has got quite a few first years playing.

"Playing Varsity Football for the first time can be intimidating. When suddenly you are playing in front of stadiums filled with passionate fans while the television crews are filming, it is easy to get nervous. That leads to mistakes. Hopefully, the 'stage fright' has worn off by now."

Motlhatsang predicted that the encounter between UP-Tuks and Northwest is going to be a mental and physical challenge. 

"But we are up to it. Everyone knows what needs to be done. We need to lift the standard of our play. More importantly, we got to convert scoring opportunities into goals."

Motlhatsang can rightfully claim to be one of the "old men" in the team. He has been part of the UP-Tuks Varsity setup since 2015. At first, he was mostly a substitute, but from 2017 he became a regular fixture in the team. So he knows what it takes to win.

He is passionate about playing centre midfield, describing it as the thinking player's position. 

"You got to be able to read the game knowing when to do what on the defence as well as on the attack. Some call it being the 'playmaker'. It is a challenge I relish."

The kickoff in Mafeking is 18:15.