PROMOTION BATTLE Prisons XI, Dinare FC both win to keep their race to Premiership alive

The First Division South League promotion race is starting to feel like a heavyweight bout with Prisons XI and Dinare FC trading blows week after week, neither willing to blink. And this Saturday, both sides landed punches again.

Prisons XI, already perched at the top of the table with 35 points from 15 games, showed their depth in Molepolole with a 2–0 win over Majweng Sporting Club. Legacy Tlhasenyana struck in the 77th minute, followed by Shakambayo in the 88th — both substitutes, both impact players. Talk about a bench that bites.

Dinare, meanwhile, kept their chase alive in Thamaga, but only just. Deep into referee’s optional time, Moraka, another super‑sub,  latched onto a classy lay‑off from former Zebras star Mogakolodi “Tsotso” Ngele to snatch a 1–0 win over Shooting Stars, leaving them at second place with 32 points from 15 matches. It was the kind of finish that keeps fans believing this race is far from over.

The stakes could not be higher. Only the league winner earns automatic promotion to the FNBB Premiership. Second place? That is a tricky route that involves a two‑legged playoff against the First Division North League  runners‑up. And speaking of the North, Tonota FC look set to run away with the title, despite being held to a 2–2 draw by Sankoyo Bush Bucks in Maun to take them to 35 points after 15 games. Their closest challengers, Tsabotlhe, also stumbled with a 1–1 draw against Eleven Angels to finish this weekend’s Week 15 with 27 points.

So here we are: Prisons XI still leading, Dinare breathing down their necks, and every goal now carrying the weight of promotion dreams. The battle is heating up, and with both teams showing they can grind out wins away from home, the FNBB Premiership door is creaking open — but only for one.