Bloemfontein Celtic’s blunt strike force has sunk them to their worst ever top-flight season in terms of goals scored, while also making them the second-lowest scorers in the PSL era. Celtic closed off the 2016/17 Absa Premiership campaign with a mere 16 goals in 30 games to finish in 12th, just one point above the playoff spot and a further one ahead of relegated Highlands Park. While Phunya Sele Sele’s defence was the third-best in the league after conceding just 28 goals, behind only the top two pair of Bidvest Wits [22 conceded] and Mamelodi Sundowns [20] and level with Kaizer Chiefs, what is damaging is that they were awful at the opposite end of the field. So appalling was Celtic’s strike rate that not only were they the lowest scoring team in the league this season, they have now slumped to being the second-most frugal scoring team in a full season since the start of the PSL in 1996.

Jomo Cosmos scored an all-time low of 13 goals in 30 games on their way to being relegated during the 2007/08 season. Even the now defunct Mother City FC, who are largely regarded as the worst performing team in PSL history, did better by way of scoring as they ended up with 22 strikes in 1999/2000, despite eventually closing off the season with just 10 points from the 34 games. So poor were Siwelele this past season that they failed to score in 18 of the 30 league games that they played, and at one stage even went four straight games without finding the back of the net. PSL top scorer Lebogang Manyama, meanwhile, scored three goals less than the entire Celtic squad. There is absolutely no surprise that they have already cut ties with three of their strikers in Ayanda Dlamini, Moeketsi Mvula and Vuyisile Wana, all of whom finished without any league goal this past season. The other forwards in their squad didn’t fair much better with Malawian forward Atusaye Nyondo finishing with a single league goal in 16 appearances, the same numbers as Burundian striker Fiston Abdul Razak. Dumisani Zuma didn’t score just like Tshegofatso Mabaso, with midfielder Musa Nyatama leading the scoring charts for the club with five league goals to his name.