AGAINST HE ODDS

Royal AM's unexpected success was the feel-good story of the 2021-22 season. 

- Nkareng Matshe

It smelt like automatic relegation waiting to happen. Days before the start of the 2021-22 DStv Premiership season, a statement landed from the Premier Soccer League's Parktown headquarters announcing the sale of Bloemfontein Celtic.

Celtic had been troubled for a long time, owner Max Tshabalala battling with creditors and struggling to find a buyer. Businesswoman Shauwn Mkhize came to the rescue a week before the start of the season, acquiring Celtic for a reported R50m and immediately relocating it to Durban, where it was renamed Royal AM.

Players and the technical team had to pack up and abandon the Free State capital, begrudgingly leaving families behind to start an uncertain life in a different province. No wonder, when pundits were asked to make their predictions for relegation, most picked Royal AM, without a doubt.

When the club lost their first two matches to Swallows (0-1) and Cape Town City (1-2) to sink to the bottom of the table, those predictions seemed decidedly accurate. But what followed in the intervening eight months was incredible, as the club turned their fortunes around in an unbelievable manner to end third in the standings, securing a historic Caf Confederations Cup place.