Jomo Cosmos narrowly miss PSL 'worst start' record
Cosmos missed the record by one game
Posted: 2011-12-06 11:23
Jomo Cosmos' victory over Platinum Stars at the weekend ensured they avoided joining the list of teams with the record of the worst start to a Premier Soccer League season.
It was the first win of the league season for the bottom-placed Cosmos and came in their 13th game of the campaign.
It meant that Jomo Sono's side avoid, by just one game, equalling the record for the longest run without a win from the start of a new league season.
The record is jointly held by the now-defunct Cape Town club Hellenic and Moroka Swallows, who tied it this time last year.
Hellenic went 13 games without a win in 2003, when they took almost half the season before registering their first victory.
Swallows' win over BidVest Wits in January after 13 winless matches ended six months without success and sparked a turnaround, engineered by coach Gordon Igesund, which saw the Birds go on to miraculously stave off relegation.
Swallows got five draws in their first 13 matches of last season and lost the other eight.
Hellenic managed just two points in their first 13 games of the season eight years ago before they finally managed a win.
Cosmos drew six and lost six of their first 12 league matches but it proved lucky 13 at the Sinaba Stadium on Saturday as two quick goals, scored at the start of the second half, ensured their win.
Other past horror starts to the season includes Hellenic, again, in the 2001/02 season with just four points in their first 10 games, all from draws. Like Cosmos at the weekend, their first win came in their 13th game of the season.
The season before that in 2000/2001, African Wanderers won one game and drew one of their first 10 and went through two coaches, Fred Njiyela and Walter Rautmann, during that period, later going on to be relegated.
In 1996/97, Bloemfontein Celtic had only managed four points from their first nine games before registering a win.
In 1999, Umtata Bush Bucks lost their first six games of the season.
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