LINDOKUHLE MDLALOSE

We concluded the first half of the season with a 2-0 win over Maritzburg United at Harry Gwala Stadium tonight.

We looked confident from the first whistle tonight and used our ball possession wisely as we created opportunities to score from. What was encouraging was that the team looked like a well drilled unit once again with each player on the field contributing to an outstanding 90 minutes of play.

While Maritzburg had a chance to score in the 12^th minute shot stopper Mlungwana parried the attempt away denying the home side the opener. This set the precedent for him for the game as he did well to keep a clean sheet.

As we settled into the game, we had some well constructed advances on target. This saw Fikizolo with a chance just before the 20 minute mark which he put inches wide of target.

It was a cross from the Man of the Match, Ndlovu, that saw us score first as he crossed for Moon who went up for the header and found the mark in the 22^nd minute.

Moon then doubled the lead just seconds before the break, heading in his brace to give us a well deserved lead going into the break.

The second half of play saw Maritzburg fighting to get back into the game. Once again, looking consolidated as a team, every effort was put in to defend strongly and deny the home side the ability to score.

A positive result from the team and coaching staff as we head into the international break.

We failed to score tonight as we lost to Orlando Pirates by 2 goals at Princess Magogo Stadium

This is the first time since 2019 that the Sea Robbers have won against us, and it will make the return match in the new year all the more competitive.

We failed to fire on all cylinders in the first half, and allowed the visitors to penetrate our defense with a degree of ease right from the kick off. Their first goal was scored in just the 6^th minute when Saleng found the back of the net for the Soweto side.

They then kept pressure on us and in the 24^th minute doubled their lead, Saleng once again the scorer.

We made a concerted effort to pull something back, but none of our shots rattled the keeper enough and we went into the break goalless.

Returning to the field, the boys looked more composed and produced some promising plays, but we were just not able to convert any of the chances created and seemed to be playing more defensively than we normally would.

We will need to pull together and produce some points on Tuesday night next week as we take on Royal Am at Chatsworth Stadium.

Another second half fight back from the boys saw us rescue a point tonight against Stellenbosch FC at Princess Magogo Stadium.

The first 45 minutes of play saw us unsettled and not displaying the brand of soccer that we normally dish out. We allowed the visitors to take advantage of their possession and they pushed up and put our goal under pressure at every opportunity given to them.

In the 23^rd minute, a well delivered corner from Basadien found Adams in the box who headed in to give the visitors the lead, a position that they held comfortably until the break.

The second 45 saw us get into more of a rhythm of play and the the boys started looking like the unit that have been playing in the last couple of games. While Moon looked dangerous at times tonight he was just not able to penetrate the defense and a tactical move to replace him with Khumalo paid off as he did well to link up with the likes of Sibiya, Mmodi, Ndwandwe and Lunga and create chances to equalise, having a number of shots on target himself.

It was Stephens between the sticks that kept the lead for Stellies though as he made save after save to deny us the opportunity to score.

Zuke had the breakthrough and scored the equaliser in the last minute of additional time to deny the visitors full points and secure the draw and a point from the evenings outing. But once again it was the determination from the entire side that was rewarded with the goal.

We need to build on this now as we have just 3 days until we face Orlando Pirates on Tuesday night at our home stadium.

A determined fight back in the second half from the boys tonight save us share the spoils against Cape Town City at Princess Magogo Stadium.

Both teams looked subdued in the first 15 minutes of play and while each side did well to penetrate the final third, there were no attempts on target that looked threatening from either side. The Citizens then changed their tactic and began pressing a little more with their possession. This paid off for them in the 27^th minute as Kajally won the ball of Lunga, played across the face of the goal and struck well, beating Gumede and opening the scoring.

The boys never rested, and fought back but were unable to equalise before the break.

The second half of play was a different affair. We played at the pace and tempo we are known for and took the game to the visitors, looking to penetrate the defence at any given opportunity. Khumalo, who substituted Moon at the break, was instrumental in a number of plays and did well along with Mmodi, Sibiya and Ndwandwe in the attempt to penetrate the defense.

It was Lunga however that ended up scoring the equaliser. We secured a corner and Sibiya curled the ball in from the near side. Keet, between the sticks failed to hold onto the ball and Lunga rifled his shot in for the equaliser.

In the last 5 minutes of play we bombarded The Citizens goals but were unable to find a second and the win against the Cape Town outfit.

Another point in the season campaign, and well deserved for the fight back and determination showed by the team.

We secured 3 points at home this afternoon as we beat Swallows FC in a convincing performance. Credit must go to each and every player who took to the pitch and gave 100% in the 4-0 win. Nduduzo Sibiya, the DStv Premiership man of the match netted twice with Pule Mmodi and Nqubeko Dlamini finishing off the scoring.

All in all we dominated most of the play this afternoon, working well in pushing up and putting the visitors defense under pressure on the hunt to score.

We received our first rewards in the 23th minute as Sibiya was taken down in the box and then converted from the mark to open our account for the afternoon. Just a minute later, Mmodi chipped over the last line of defense and the keeper to double the lead.

Swallows were however not an easy opponent all of the time and had passages of play that had our defensive department hard at work to deny them opportunity.

We extended the lead in the 66th minute with Sibiya shooting from the inside of the ‘D’ and beating Mbanjwa. Continuing on a high, he then played us behind the defense again and crossed to the box where Mmodi shot at target but hit the woodwork. It was Dlamini who, coming up with the attack, struck the ball and scored our 4th for the afternoon.
A well deserved win ahead of our break.

It was a game of two halves today that saw us hold on for the win and 3 points this afternoon at Princess Magogo Stadium.

We did well in the first half, taking the ball up on attack and making the visitors defense work hard to try and slow the game down. The continual press up to the box did well to put the pressure on them and in the process forcing the errors. We received a free kick in the 18th minute and Nxadi opened the scoring with a low level header off a free kick from Ndududzo Sibiya.

We kept pressure on the visitors and just 5 minutes later we extended the lead as Sibiya converted a penalty kick after Mutizwa was pushed in the box.

With the team running on a positive streak of play, we once gain found tha back of the net as Mutizwa drew Chaine out of position, then crossed the ball to an unmarked Mmodi who scored the third.

Coming back onto the pitch for the second 45, the run of play changed for us. We found ourselves on the back foot and playing a defensive game. The visitors sensed the upper hand they had and pulled back 2 quick goals in the 62nd and 67th minute but failed to break the defense once again.

Overall we achieved a positive result for the day but will need to work on maintaining an attacking mode of play.

We will now use the week to prepare for our game against Mamelodi Sundowns at TUKS Stadium next Saturday.

We shared the spoils in our DStv Premiership clash against Marumo Gallants at Peter Mokaba Stadium this afternoon. The final score after the full 90 minutes being 1-1.

This was the first point secured in the championship so far this season, with Velemeseni Ndwandwe scoring his first goal to equalise in the second half after Ngema scored for Bahlabane Ba Ntwa in the 55^th minute.

The first stanza of the game saw end to end action with both sides missing chances to open their scoring accounts. Pule Mmodi missed an opportunity in the sixth minute and Sibeko took a number of opportunities afforded to him.

The keepers had some work to do in the first half. Both Nkosingiphile Gumede and Washington Arubi being called on to protect their goal and entertaining with some outstanding saves.

Knox Mutizwa worked hard in the first half linking up well with Mmodi, Moon and Fikizolo to create chances, but was substituted for the fresh legs of Ndwandwe at that break. This change in player and tactic looked to be working well until the hosts scored.

Not being thrown off the game change, we fought back and in the 71^st minute an unmarked Ndwandwe headed in for the equaliser.

The boys showed a lot of determination in the last quarter of the game and were denied only by some outstanding keeping from Arubi and unfortunate attempts that found the woodwork.

While it was not a full 3 points taken, it is a small victory in morale as we head back home to face TS Galaxy next Saturday at Princess Magogo Stadium.

We did not have the start to the season that we wanted at Princess Magog Stadium, going down 2-0 to Richards Bay as they debuted in the DStv Premiership.

All in all it was an entertaining game that saw us doing well to keep possession and create scoring opportunities but in the end none of them bore fruit. The closest we came was in the 27th minute when a cross to Mmodi on the near post, saw his header effort hit the upright.

Richards Bay responded with a quick counter play from this and did well to get behind the defense where Ntsundwana opened the scoring.

Coming back after the break we did well once again to use and sread the ball, looking to penetrate the defense but we were just not able to finish with efforts from Moon, Ndwandwe and Khumalo missing target.
The side need to address a couple of things before they head off to play two games on the road, both at Peter Mokaba Stadium.

The 2022/23 DStv Premiership season is finally upon us and we kick off the season with a KZN Derby against Richards Bay FC at home.

Our preseason preparations have gone well and Coaches Vusi Vilakazi and Mabhudi Khenyeza along with their support staff have worked hard to get the squad to match fitness level.

They have been able to test out different player combinations in the friendly games that have been played and are pleased with the squads performance and positive attitude ahead of the unfolding season.

While we start with a home game, the team then have to travel for their following two games against Sekhukhune United and Marumo Gallants. With this in mind the aim is to secure 3 points at home to get the teams headspace in a positive place.

Richards Bay FC, are not strangers to the top league teams, having beaten Kaizer Chiefs in the 2021 Nedbank Cup last 32 in 2021. They are a determined squad of players, with Chairman Jomo Biyela and Coach Pitso Dladla bolstering their squad ahead of the Premiership start.

The home season opener should be an exciting and entertaining encounter and we call on the Green and Gold Army to get to Princess Magogo Stadium to get behind the boys as we kick off the season.

Tickets are available at the gates, entrance fee is R40.

We return to Princess Magogo Stadium on Sunday afternoon to take on Cape Town City in our first home game of 2022 in the DStv Premiership.

With the second half of the season well underway, this is going to be an important game for both sides as we sit at 9th and 10th on the log at the moment, both eager to break into the top 8. A win for either side would be a considerable step to securing important points in the quest to break into the top half of the log.

We have collected 7 points from our last 5 games, winning one and drawing four and the team is ready to collect full points again at home. The boys have played out of their boots and have been unlucky not to have won more games of late. Sundays game will hopefully be a turning point that will result in 3 points being added to our tally.

The Citizens have had a mixed bag of results lately, drawing to Chiefs earlier this month but only securing one win in their last 5 outings. That was almost 2 months ago against Swallows FC in Cape town, before losing to SuperSport United ahead of the festive break.

They are a team that can prove unpredictable on the field as we experienced in October last year however things could change as we take them on in our own back yard.

The game will be televised on SuperSport 202 and should you not be able to watch, we will be giving you updates throughout the game over our social media platforms.

We finished off 2021 with a draw against The Dube Birds at Dobsonville Stadium tonight in a game that saw us fight back from 2 goals down to secure the point.

The first 45 of the game started off slow for both sides as we attempted to gauge what each others game plan was. This saw some scrappy midfield play before the game came to life. Swallows, with new coach Dylan Kerr on the bench for the first time, opened the scoring in the 21^st minute as Mahlatsi slotted a rebound following an initial strike from Musonda.

We attempted to respond quickly and while we had a number of decent attacking plays involving Sibiya, Dlamini, Mmodi and Gumede, we were just not able to find the finish we needed. Ngobeni, the last line of defense for the home side worked hard between the sticks to deny our attempts.

We then went 2 down after a corner from Basadien was slotted in on the near post by Musonda.

Returning to play after the break and making some changes, we seemed immediately more alive and pulled out forst goal back just 4 minutes after the break as Gumede headed past Ngobeni.

We looked more comfortable on the park and began attacking the home side as much as possible in an attempt to first equalise and then find a winner.

Gumede then managed to get a brace off a cut back pass off a free kick from Mtshali in the 76^th minute. We created some solid opportunities after that, and had Ngobeni block a potential winner from Mutizwa and later Mmodi hit the post in an attempt to win.

The team will have a break now until Wednesday February 16^th when we get back into the action at Orlando Stadium against The Bucanneers.

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We head to Dobsonville Stadium to play Swallows FC in our last game of 2021 before heading into the festive break. This second round encounter will not be a televised match.

When we met up in November at home, we played to a goalless draw in a fast paced and entertaining game from both sides, however, we need to take the win tomorrow night and secure 3 points on the road from the Dube Birds.

Although on an unbeaten streak at present, we have not collected as many points as we would have liked, with draws coming against TS Galaxy, Royal AM, Orlando Pirates and Stellenbosch FC. While we took maximum points against Chippa FC and Baroka, there has been at least 4 point dropped in our draws.

A win would also mean a jump to 8^th spot on the log for us ahead of the break.

Swallows as always are a formidable side to face, and even though they are going through a transition phase in their coaching department, are not a side that you want to take for granted.

They opened the scoring against Cape Town City in their last encounter before letting the Citizens bounce back for the win. Swallows are a side that can perform as well as any of the the big teams in the country and will looking to prove that with their last home game of the year.

They find themselves at 14^th place on the log, with only 13 points accumulated from their 17 games played thus far and will be eager to add to that tally.

The game as mentioned will not be televised, we will however keep you up to date with the action as it happens.

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We shared the spoils once again with TS Galaxy as we drew 1-1 at Princess Magogo Stadium this afternoon.

The first half was a pretty slow affair with neither side seeming to find any sort of rhythm on the field. We had a number of plays that saw us get into the final third, as did The Rockets, but neither side looked threatening in their play.

Only late in the half did Mngomezulu, for TS Gaslaxy, and M.Gumede for us have a real chance at something, with both attempts ending up wide of goal.

The second half saw Coach Seema replace Sibiya and Mantshiyane with Mtshali and Conco in an effort to change things up again, and this did have some effect as we increased tempo on the game and looked like our normal selves.

In the 52^nd minute though TS Galaxy managed to secure a lead off a corner with Lekay back heeling  the ball past N.Gumede.

The lead was short lived though as Cele equalised off a free kick just 2 minutes later.

We then missed a number of chances that could have seen us take the lead. Mmodi shot over from a cross and then Mutizwa completely blew a chance right over the bar from a prenalty kick.

The closing minutes saw the sides giving it their all to find a winner but it want meant to be.

We prepare for our last game of December now as we travel to Dobsonville Stadium to face Swallows FC before the festive break

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We play our last home game before the festive break against TS Galaxy tomorrow afgternoon at Princess Magogo Stadium. The televised game (SupoerSport Channel 209) kicks off at 15h30.

We will be looking to build on our run of no losses in the tournament as we take on the Rockets at home. Having taken maximum points in 2 of our last 5 games, this encounter gives us a perfect opportunity to collect another 3 at home against our opponents from Mpumalanga.

This will be a second round fixture against TS Galaxy, having met them in September in our first DStv Premiership of the season at Mbombela Stadium where we ended up drawing the game 2-2 with goals from Michael Gumede and Velemseni Ndwandwe.

TS Galaxy can be unpredictable on the day and have had some great encounters in the season, one of them most recently when they drew against Cape Town City. That being said, they have conceded heavily this season and have a negative 10 goal difference so far after 15 games.

The side do have a positive attitude on the field and we will treat them no differently than we would one of the higher placed teams on the log.

As mentioned before the game will be televised and you are able to follow our social media channels for a play-by-play of the game, so tune into the action in whichever way possible tomorrow afternoon.

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We extended our unbeaten streak to 6 games as we played to a goalless draw against Royal AM this afternoon at Chatsworth Stadium.

The tone of the game was set from the first touch of the ball with both teams playing a fast paced attacking plan, countering each other at every move on the field.

This saw the first half being an end to end affair with each side using their possession to push up in an attempt to get behind the defense. We had two early opportunities in the game, with Magubane just not being able to curl in a free kick and then minutes later Mmodi crossed in front of the goal face.

While we attacked we also had to deal with the counter play from Royal AM. Nkosingiphile Gumede did well to stop a shot from Mabena in the first half.

After the break the game seemed to settle a little, and both sides played a more structured game, but still at a fast pace. We looked composed and took the game to the hosts more in the second stanza. While we looked the more likely to score, we were just not able to hit the target with attempts from Dlamini and later Mmodi just unable to beat the Royal AM keeper.

It was not a one sided affair however and defensively we had to work hard with Mabena firing off a number of shots at target.

Although not the three points we would have hoped for, the point from the draw will be well received as we edge closer to the top 8 of the table once again.

The squad now have a week to prepare for our next game which will be played at home against TS Galaxy next Saturday

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We take to the field again tomorrow afternoon with a KZN Derby encounter against Royal AM at Chastworth Stadium. The game will kick off at 15h30, and televised on SuperSports PSL channel.

Asking Coach Seema on his thoughts on the game, he gave us this feedback. ‘We will be facing a very dangerous and spirited team in Royal AM, look where they are on the log. They are determined and we will give them the respect that they deserve.

But, we are Lamontville Golden Arrows and we believe in ourselves and will be looking for back-to-back wins as we take them on. The guys have been working hard and believe in themselves. Preparations for the game have gone well and the squad is focussed and both physically and mentally prepared for the encounter.

Royal AM have been performing well, and lost 3-2 to Mamelodi Sundowns in their most recent encounter. As with any team though they can be beaten on the day. Being a rival Kwa-Zulu Natal team and having a derby status to the game makes the encounter even more unpredictable and we are sure to see some exciting play on Sunday afternoon.

If you are unable to watch the game, follow our social channels for play by play feedback on the action.

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All eyes will be on Princess Magogo Stadium on Wednesday night as we prepare to take on Kaizer Chiefs in our midweek DStv Premiership encounter.

The team will be looking to take another 3 points after coming off a well-deserved away win against Chippa United last Saturday and a home win against Baroka FC before that.

The boys have the stamina to play our trademark pacey game against Amakhosi and will be wanting to take the game to the Soweto team in our own backyard.

In their last 5 games played Chiefs have lost only 1 encounter, drawn 1 and won 3. They enjoyed wins over both of their Soweto neighbours beating Swallows FC 3-1 and Orlando Pirates 2-1, but have had mixed results against our KwaZulu Natal neighbours with a 1-0 win against Maritzburg and a 1-1 draw with AmaZulu.

With Chiefs experiencing a high Covid-19 outbreak of late, they were unable to honour their weekend fixture against Cape Town City FC. We are however expecting the game to proceed as planned and are well prepared for the midweek clash.

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The team earned a well deserved 3 points on the road this afternoon as they won 2-1 against Chippa United at Nelson Mandela Stadium.

In the first stanza Chippa came out of the gates with some threatening play, with Bienvenu having an attempt at goals in the 3^rd minute of play. His header, off a cross was well directed on target, forcing Gumede to make his first save of the game.

Not wanting to be intimidated by the hosts, the boys pulled together and used some well executed combination play to take the game to the Chilli Boys. Dlamini, Mmodi and Sibiya did well to get the ball to the box where the ball deflected off Zulu on defence. M.Gumede following up on play hit the ball well and opened the scoring for us.

Chippa had a number of attempts to equalise, but solid goalkeeping and defense denied them until the 34^th minute when the hosts played a long ball to the box, well held up by Dickens who layed it off for Bienvenu who scored the equaliser, taking the teams to the changerooms level pegged.

Coming back onto the park after the break, we once again decided to take the game to Chippa. We did well in the opening minute of the half, creating a chance for Sibiya who put the effort over the bar.

A great play from the back by Zuke gave us some advantage as Sibiya then flicked on to Mmodi who struck well and doubled our score in the 52^nd minute.

Both sides created chances to score again, and some thrifty keeping between the posts created an exciting game. Chippa United were then denied an Ngele equaliser off a penalty shot in the 89^th minute after a hand ball by Cele. N.Gumede read the shot perfectly and made a match winning save for us.

A well deserved win for the boys this afternoon

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We travel this weekend as we take on Chippa United at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium tomorrow afternoon. Kick off is scheduled for 15h30.

The coaching staff and team are hoping to build on the win at home last weekend against Baroka while securing another 3 points and edging closer to the Top 8 of the log as we take on the Chilli Boys as home.

A lot of work has been done in pushing up and taking advantages of chances created in our game plans, and this was evident in our last game. The objective of the team will be to continue with this play and to get into a strong position against Chippa at home.

Our hosts have not been achieving the results they would have been wanting to of late, and have drawn their last two home games against Swallows FC and Maritzburg United. The advantage they have though, is that they have been rested since their last outing against Baroka FC on November 20, an encounter that they won.

The game will not be televised but you will be able to follow proceedings on our social media channels as we do a play-by-play for you.

We secured a win this afternoon in a five goal extravaganza against Baroka FC at Princess Magogo Stadium.

The first half of play was a strong half for us as we managed to dominate both position and possession on the field. The boys did well to channel the ball up both wings, looking for and creating space that allowed us to take shots on target.

Our first goal came from Magubane who went on attack with M.Gumede. Gumede took a shot that was blocked by the visitors keeper but he never held onto it. Magubane, following up headed in for the lead. Just fifteen minutes later Mmodi extended the lead with a great finish from a passage of solid team play.

This saw us go into the break with a good lead, but the second half nearly unravelled for us as we let Sithole and then Farmer equalise for the visitors.

While we did well to push up on attack, we have Baroka too much space to come back at us off set pieces. We fell way too far back and this allowed them to push up into our final third with long balls, not giving ourselves space to clear and then conceding.

We were then awarded a penalty in the 83^rd minute after substitute Conco was brought down in the box. Sibisi took the penalty and played into the bottom right corner, beating a diving Masuluke.

A well deserved win for the team and a positive to build of before we head off to take on Chippa United at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday 4^th December.

We end off the month with a home game against Baroka FC at Princess Magogo Stadium on Sunday afternoon, and it’s a must win contest for us as we start wrapping up the first half of the 2021/22 DStv Premiership.

The encounter will be our twelfth game of the season, and so far we have taken maximum points from only two outings, and shared the spoils in six, with no points being accumulated from three games.

While the team have been playing well both defensively and on attack, we have not converted our chances up front. The coaching staff are expecting our attacking players to raise their hands and take some responsibility up front and find the back of the net.

Baroka FC always pull some big match temperament out of the bag when it comes to playing with us, and after suffering three losses and two draws in their last five outings will be wanting to give their supporters something to look forward to. A win can achieve that for them.

They can play an unpredictable game when under pressure and we need to be prepared for them on the day.

The game is not a televised game, however, we will be posting play-by-play on our social media channels to keep you up to date with the games proceedings.

We shared the spoils once again as we drew 0-0 against Orlando Pirates at Princess Magogo Stadium this afternoon.

It was a well contested game that saw the keepers being kept on their toes as fielded shots at target. We came up short in the early minutes of the game as Sibiya dragged a shot wide after a dummy play by Gumede.

We were lucky not to concede though in the first 45 as Pirates took a number of shots at target. Nkosingiphile Gumede did well to defend his goals, however Makgaka come close, hitting the post from a shot from range.

The second half was a similar affair, with Pirates finding more shots on target than us. We did well on the counter though but just lacked that final finishing to capitalise on our efforts.

In general our defensive play looked more solid than usual, but we never took advantage of the efforts up front and need to find some solid finishing if we want to improve on our point tally.

We return to the field after the international break with a home game against Orlando Pirates at Princess Magogo Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

“This game is do-or-die for us. We are playing against a coach who knows our players very well and the way we play.” Captain Matome Mathiane told the press. ‘So, it is not going to be an easy game and we know how Pirates play. They are not doing well at the moment and we want to take advantage of that to try and win the game.”

He added that the plan was to take advantage of a Orlando Pirates who have been suffering a poor run of results lately. “The guys are well motivated. It is our home game and we need points. We only have two wins so far this season.”
Orlando Pirates have only claimed six points from five away matches so far in the season, and will be looking to improve on those figures as they play us. With Coach Ncikazi being well aware of a lot of our players attributes, they will be confident of being able to counter anything we may throw at them.

The game is set to kick off at 15h30 and will be televised on SuperSports PSL channel (202). As always you can also keep up to date with the games proceedings over our social media channels

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We take on Stellenbosch FC tomorrow evening at Danie Craven Stadium in our 10th DStv Premiership game of the season. Kick off will be at 17h00.

After playing to a goalless draw in our midweek fixture against Swallows FC, the team are looking to collect points on the road against a very confident Stellenbosch side. While we have not converted as many of the chances we created on the field so far this season, the side have been working hard at practice to sharpen their finishing and improve on this aspect our game.

We will be facing a Stellenbosch team that is riding a crest of some outstanding play. They have not lost a game in their last 5 outings, having drawn 2 and won 3. They will be hard to beat at home, and we are aiming to break their streak.

The game is not televised however you will be able to keep up-to-date with the proceedings over our social media channels.

We played to a goalless draw against Swallows FC this evening at Princess Magogo Stadium. Even though no goals were scored it was another high paced entertaining game from both sides.

In the first 45 minutes of play we did well to go on the attack against the Birds, but could not capitalise on the chances created. The team did well to retain ball and made us of it to probe the Swallows defence from all angles. Cele made an attempt at goals in the 7^th minute but failed to beat the keeper who collected easily.

The game seemed to be an end to end affair with both teams fighting hard to get behind the defence and taking chances, with both Gumede and February having to work to keep a clean sheet for the night.

Swallows managed to create a number of scoring opportunities themselves but some hard defensive work and Gumede proving to be a formidable last line of defence frustrated them as they were denied the opportunities.

Our best chance of scoring came in the 54^th minute as Mutizwa struck a cross. His attempt caught February off guard but hit the cross bar to deny him.

Just one point from the game and a lot of positives to build on as we go on the road to face Stellenbosch FC at Danie Craven Stadium on Saturday evening.

We lost to Cape Town City in a nail biting 7 goal encounter that went down to the wire tonight.

We did not start the game off well, and instead of taking the game to the hosts, allowed them to play us at our own game. City enjoyed the lions share of possession and field advantage in the first 45 and this showed in the score line. We gave them too much space at the back with questionable defensive play and they punished us for that.

Lakay opened the scoring in the 22^nd minute, then we allowed Mkhize to double that just 2 minutes later. Being caught on the back foot we battled to get into any rhythm of play and gave the hosts another scoring opportunity in the 39^th minute which Mdantsane took full advantage of.

Retuning after the break we looked slightly more composed and started taking the game to the home side. Although they scored again in the 58^th minute, we replied by pulling back 3 goals in just over 20 minutes of play as Mmodi scored in the 61^st minute, Sibisi converted a penalty in the 81^st minute and Dlamini edged us closer to a draw in the 86^th.

With extra time looming the boys gave all they had in the hunt for the equaliser, but were just unable to create that last bit of magic to secure a point.

A well fought second half from the boys and a testament to the fighting spirit that the squad has when their backs are against the wall.

We have home side advantage in our next encounter as we face Swallows FC on Tuesday 2^nd November at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium.

We get back into DStv Premiership action tomorrow afternoon as we take on Mamelodi Sundowns at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium. The game will be televised on the SuperSport PSL channel and kicks off at 15h30.

We took some time to talk to Coach Seema ahead of the game and get his views on what he expects from the midweek encounter.

“We are expecting a tough game against a team that’s on form, can swap players and replace quality for quality making them unpredictable. They are able to field a strong team and bench.

We have played them twice already this season in the MTN8 competition, so we know what to expect, they are not a completely closed book to us. Sundowns being Sundowns though, you can never be entirely sure of that they will bring on the day”
Switching to our squad and its focus, the coach had the following to say.

“We are focusing on ourselves on the day, we need to ensure we play our way and impose our game on them. It’s our home game, we are not going to wait for them to come to us.

I am happy with the progress of the team and I can’t wait for Wednesday to see how far we have come.

We have a difficult week as we travel right after Wednesday’s game, but the squad is focused ahead of what is in store for us.”

We will look to build on our home form against Sundowns who have had a strong start to the current season.

We will be looking to pick up some points at home tomorrow afternoon as we host Marumo Gallants at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium.

Our previous games so far have not given us the point standing that we would have hoped for and a win against Gallants, and 3 points in the bag is just what the team needs ahead of the international break.

A positive to take back to the practice pitch in preparation for upcoming games would be a solid foundation for Coach Seema and the team to build on.

Coach Seema is hoping that Nkosinathi Sibisi will be fit for the match after receiving a head injury against Mamelodi Sundowns.

“We’re still trying to give them as much game time as we can because the league is a marathon and it’s going to be a difficult one,” Seema said.

“Sunday we have a difficult one again, we have few players that have played, we’ll see how it goes and hopefully the injury of Sibisi is not that bad but we’ll see after a day or two when we arrive at home.”

Gallants remain winless so far in the season. And find themselves lingering at the bottom end of the log.
They will be desperate for a win, and this can give any team added drive on the day. Having drawn two of their four games so far, one being against Kaizer Chiefs, they remain confident of picking up some points against us, even if only 1 for a draw.

The game is not televised but we will be posting our play by play commentary on our social platforms.

We bowed out of the 2021 MTN8 tonight as we went down 3-0 to Masandawana at Lucas Moripe Stadium. The home side opened the scoring in the 4^th minute off the boot of Shaluilile as he punished us off a deflection.

Ndwandwe probably had our best opportunity of the night to score just 2 minutes later but was denied by a switched on Pieterse. We allowed Sundowns a lot of space in the midfield and they used it to their advantage, coming up on attack and putting us on the backfoot for the most of the first half.

The home side doubled their lead in the 29^th minute as Lunga headed in a well delivered free kick from the near side of the box.

We made changes at the break, bringing on Cele and Mbhele into play. They made somewhat of an impact on our game, creating space and pushing up into the final third, but we could not find the final touches we needed and put our efforts wide of target.

Sundowns got their third goal deep into extra time with Maema slotting a curler into the top corner of goals, further securing their win and going through to the final on a 4-1 aggregate score.

We return to the field on Sunday afternoon as we take on Muramo Gallants in the DStv Premiership at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium.

#SthendeWay #GreenAndGold #VisitDurban

We played to yet another draw in the DStv Premiership this afternoon, this time against Sekhukhune United at Emirates Airline Park. Both goals of the game were scored in the second half of play.

A win this afternoon would have helped our campaign and pushed us higher on the overall log but sharing the spoils with Sekhukhune means that for now we will stay in the middle of the standings.

The first half of play saw us dominating ball possession, and well executed plays on both flanks of the field between Magawana and Dube on the right and Cele and Mmodi on the left allowed us to play up into our opponents half, but we were unable to create clear scoring opportunities as the hosts defended well.

We missed an opportunity to take the lead on the half hour mark as Mutizwa headed over the bar off a cross from Dube. Sekhukhune responded as Sibanyoni attacked, missing his opportunity to put his side in the lead.

Coming off the break, Coach Seema made three changes, with Sibiya, Ndwandwe and Gumede coming on. All of the players made an immediate impact with Gumede breaking the deadlock in the 52^nd minute off a great assist from Sibisi.

The home side equalised after being awarded a penalty for an alleged foul by Gumede in the box. Maart converted and levelled things up for an entertaining last 10 minutes of play that saw both sides fighting hard to score a winner.

The team will need to pull together and build on the positive aspects of our play as we have only a couple of days to prepare for our second round semi final in the MTN8 against Mamelodi Sundowns on Tuesday evening.

We travel to Johannesburg to take on Sekhukhune United in our fifth DStv Premiership game of the season tomorrow afternoon. Kick off at Emirates Airline Park will be at 15h00.

It will be an early battle for position in the top 8 of the log, with both Sekhukhune and ourselves having only secured full points from one game so far this season it finds us currently sitting at 8^th with Sekhukhune just a point and position below us on 9^th.

We have performed well on the field and maintained a high intensity game, scoring well but have just failed to retain our lead advantages. This has cost us points against both TS Galaxy and more recently AmaZulu in our Durban Derby game. It is a factor of our game that Coach Sema has identified that we need to improve on to come away with full points.

Sekhukhune on the other hand have lost 2 games so far in the season, drawing one and securing their only win against Maritzburg United. They have not faired well at home, and this could be a positive factor to our game tomorrow.

The game will be televised on SuperSport’s Channel 247 (OTT3) and as always we will be keeping you up to date with the play on all of our social media channels.

It was shared spoils this aftermoon with neither side earning bragging rights as we played to a 2-all draw at Sugar ray Xulu Stadium.

The first half saw Amazulu dominating position and possession for 20 minutes and eventually taking the lead as Mlambo opened the scoring off a far side corner. This was just seconds after some die hard defending from Sibisi and Zuke denied Ntuli.

We seemed to come alive at this point of the game and fired back at the visitors, taking the game to them and looking for opportunities as we pushed deep into their half. We were awarded a penalty in the 30^th minute after a hand ball in the box, which Mutizwa converted.

We pushed up again, and forced another error from AmaZulu as Memela pulled Sibisi down in the box. This time Mutizwa played his shot too wide and was denied by the post, the rebound ball was then saved by Mothwa as we took another shot at target.

Heading into the break a goal a piece was an indication of the second half that was to follow.

The second stanza of play was as entertaining as the first. We came back onto the park showing some determination to take the lead in the game and enjoyed more possession of the ball than the first 45. The boys spread the ball well, looking for angles to get behind the defence, and finding them.

Dube had a couple of opportunities but created a tight angle for his attempts and put them over the bar. Our pressure paid off in the 77^th minute as Mathiane, on the field for an injured Khumalo, scored a brilliant header to take the lead.

It was short lived though as just 2 minutes later, AmaZulu were awarded a penalty for a foul in the box. Ntuli took the opportunity to equalize and that’s how the score remained for the rest of the game.

Both goal keepers played impressively this afternoon though and had periods of play that put them to the test as they had to make multiple quick saves in a quick paced game.

We head to Emirates Park on the 25^th where we face Sekhukhune at 5pm in our next DStv Premiership fixture.

We take on AmaZulu at Sugar Ray Xulu tomorrow afternoon in the DSTv Premiership competition. The game will kick off at 3pm.

We spoke to Coach Seema about his thoughts on the upcoming game and he had the following to say, “We are expecting the game against Amazulu to be a difficult one, a true Derby game against an experienced side.

We know that they will come hard at us. Firstly, it’s a Durban Derby and secondly they are looking for their first win in the Premiership this season.

They will also have some confidence after their win against Bullets in Malawi.

But we are prepared, we are ready and have a good idea of what they will be throwing at us.”

Talking about preparations for the match, the Coach was confident that his charges have it in them to take full points. “We have been working hard at practice, the boys know what’s expected of them, we have worked on our game plan and playing Golden Arrows style football. We have also been working on keeping concentration until the final minute. We have conceded late in our last two games and we need to play to the final whistle.”

“We are working on being clinical and using our chances”

Although we have Ndwandwe out due to suspension, Coach Seema is confident that the youngsters we have in the squad are capable of filling his boots.

The game will be televised on SuperSports PSL Channel. If you’re not able to watch it, we will be keeping you up to date with the games proceedings on our social media platforms.

We get back into action after the international break with an away game against TS Galaxy on Tomorrow afternoon. The scheduled kick off for the match is 15h00 at Mbombela Stadium.

We have accumulated 3 points so far in the DSTv Premiership after a home win against Maritzburg United and then a loss at Lucas Moripe Stadium against SuperSport United.

It has been a promising start to the season and while we have seen some great play from our new signings backed by consistency from the rest of the team, the squad have needed to accumulate game time together to identify strengths to build on as well as weaknesses to remedy. The International break has given us the time now to work on these aspects of our game and Saturdays game against The rockets will allow us to put them into practice.

TS Galaxy would have wanted a better start to the season. They drew their opening game of the season at home and then travelled and lost away to Stellenbosch FC.

They are however a fighting side and can be unpredictable on the day.

The game is not a televised game but we will be keeping you up-to-date with a play by play feed on our social platforms.

It was a game of two halves at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium this afternoon as we drew the first leg of the MTN8 semi final against Mamelodi Sundowns.

The first half saw us doing well to use our possession and create some well executed plays and put the visitors under pressure.

In the early minutes we had Onyango under pressure and just seconds after forcing a save out of him, Dlamini struck a grass cutter and found the back of the net to give us the lead.

A late push from Mamelodi Sundowns in the half to try and equalise was an indication of what was to come for us in the second 45.

The second half of the game saw some hard defending from the side. From the first minute after the restart it was Sundowns who heaped pressure onto us in the final third.

Some solid play from the boys saw us deny them a number of times with Mlungwana putting in a tremendous effort between the sticks.

It was Mamelodi Sundowns replacement, Safranko who tapped in a rebound ball in the 85th minute to level things up.

The team will have a month to prepare for the second leg to be played in Pretoria at the end of September

A first half goal and two in the second stanza sealed our fate in Attridgeville this afternoon as we lost 3-1 to SuperSport United at Lucas Moripe Stadium

While we did well to keep possession of the ball during the most of the game, we did not use it to our advantage and allowed the home side too many chances and space to be able to take shots on target.

We were fortunate  early in the game when SuperSport put an effort over the bar, with Mlungwana being over committed and not able to make the save if he had to. Grobler and Rayners threatened us on the attack a number of times and we seemed unsettled on the back foot.

It was Mokoena who made the break through for the home side on the half hour mark, finding the back of the net off a cross from Rayners.

Coach Seema introduced Mutizwa and Mtshali at the break, hoping to bring some change to the play. While this did have a slight impact on the fluidity of the game, we were just not able to pose a serious threat to United.

While we managed to deliver ball to the box, we were not able to convert the chances, with Ndwandwe missing a header opportunity and Conco putting an effort over the bar and then being denied by Williams.

Gabuza then extended the lead for the home side with just 8 minutes left.

It was only in extra time after Mmodi was pulled down and we were awarded a penalty that we were able to put any score on the bard, with Sabelo converting.

We will need to return to Durban and pull together quickly as we have commitments to deal with this Saturday at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium when we face Mamelodi Sundowns in the MTN8.

We travel to Pretoria to take on SuperSport United at Lucas Moripe Stadium in a mid-week 3pm kickoff DSTv Premiership encounter. After coming off a Derby win on the weekend against Maritzburg United, the boys looking to continue an early haul of paints in the season and remaining confident for a win against SuperSport United.

The Coaching staff are happy with the performance so far from the squad, and the way that both the starting eleven as well as the substitutes are playing a positive game and making an impact on the field.

The team is working well as a unit and they are looking to keep up the harmony they have in the squad at present.
SuperSport played against Cape Town City in their season opener and played to a goalless draw against The Citizens in Cape Town. While United seemed to have the upper hand during the game, they failed to convert the chances created, and are sure to be eager to better that at home on tomorrow night.

The afternoons game will be televised on SuperSport 202 (PSL) and we will also be keeping you up to date with posts on our social media platforms.

We secured a win and bragging rights with a 2-1 win over Maritzburg United in our opening game of the DSTv Premiership this afternoon at Princess Magogo Stadium.

It was as expected a highly contested game between both sides, with The Team of choice showing intent at scoring from the opening minutes of the game while we too had an early attempt with a snap shot from Ndwandwe.

It was hard work from our boys at the back as Sibisi, Dlamini and shot stopper Mlungwana dealt with a continual attack from the visitors. Mlungwana made some point blank stops and Sibisi cleared a shot from Graham to keep the visitors from scoring.

With half time approaching we failed to take the lead as Sibiya, with space on the near post blasted his effort over the cross bars.

Returning for the second 45, Coach Seema brought on Zuke and Conco. The change paid off with Conco immediately finding space and posing a threat to the visitors. Conco scored the opening goal as he ran onto a through pass, took his shot from the right and beating Engelhardt.

Sabelo doubled the lead off a well weighted free kick opportunity in the 67th minute after Ndwandwe was bought down just outside the box.

With full time fast approaching the pressure play from Maritzburg increased and paid off for them as replacement Theron pulled one back for them.

It was just not enough for United and after 3 minutes of additional time, we secured the first home win of the season.

We kick off the DSTV Premiership 2021/22 season tomorrow with a home Derby match against Maritzburg United at Princess Magogo Stadium.

After having got the 2021/22 season underway last weekend in the MTN8, Coach Seema has had an opportunity to view and assess his players in pressure situations and stated at the launch of the season this week that the team ‘will continue to work hard’

This is in reference to continuing the form that saw us end last season at 4th on the log. The confidence of the coaching staff and players is high ahead of the opening game while still remaining weary of the pressures they face with the game being a Derby.

After watching the performance of The Team of Choice in The Premiers Cup, it is evident that they are looking to improve on their last season and are going to bring both determination and a fighting attitude to the field come game time.

This will promise to be an entertaining and explosive kick off to the season, and while we are still unable to host spectators at the stadium, you will be able to watch the game of SuperSport 204.

We will also bring you the game live on our social media channels.

#DStvPrem #SthendeWay #GreenAndGold #VisitDurban

We advance to the semi finals of the 2021 MTN8 after penalties decided the game against SuperSport United this afternoon at Princess Magogo Stadium.

We took to the field showing great intention, and took the game to the visitors from the first minute. We dominated both possession and field and looked for gaps to open the scoring for the afternoon. While we pushed SuperSport back into their final third, we were just not able to finish off our plays.

Matsatsantsa worked tirelessly as well, and countered quickly when they had the ball. Grobler was close to scoring with a volley shot, but Mlungwana read the play well and made sure of the save.

A great deal of work was done by Mmodi, Mutizwa and debutant Cele, from the left hand side while M.Dube and Sibiya worked tirelessly on the right, but we ended up going into the break even, with no score on the board.

Our breakthrough came in the 50th minute after Sibiya was dragged down in the box. The referee awarded a penalty and Mutizwa made no mistake in converting, giving us the lead.

SuperSport made changes and it was their replacement Lungu who equalized in the 78th minute. With neither side being able to break the deadlock after full time we went into extra time.

It was then the visitors who took the lead after Rayners scored in the 99th minute of play. Also on the bench for the visiting side, he made quite an impact on their play.

It looked like all was over for us as we edged to the end of additional time, but consistent pressure in the opponents last third from the boys paid off when Gumede was unmarked on the back post and side-footed the equalizer in off a free kick from Sabelo.

Two missed conversions from SuperSport saw us clinch the win 4-3 on penalties.

We finished off the DStv Premiership season with a goalless draw at Sugar Ray Xulu this afternoon.

All in all the game was an equal footed affair with both sides using their possession and field advantage well to try and push up into the final third of the park.

While we created a number of scoring chances form this play, there were no effort that fell on target, and the same was to be said for the visitors.

An uneventful conclusion to what is otherwise a very good season for the club.

A forth place finish is a deserved reward for a coaching staff and squad that put a lot of effort into the season to achieve the result.

We would like to thank all of our supporters, both old and new, for the support and encouragement given this season. Without you, the #StendeNation army backing us, we would not have been able to achieve what we have.

Here is to hoping that we will see you all, at the stadium in the upcoming season.

We dropped important points at FNB Stadium tonight against Kaizer Chiefs in a game that we could have closed off in the first half.

We looked composed at the beginning of the game, working the ball well and creating space and opportunities up front. This paid off in the 21st minute for us as Michael Gumede opened the scoring.

Chiefs responded just after the half hour mark as Manyama scored the first of his hat-trick off a well delivered low cross from Katsande.

We increased the pressure on the home side and just minutes before the break failed to score off two very well orchestrated opportunities.

After the break both sides seemed to be assessing the others change in game plans. Chiefs then started increasing their pressure and Cardoso blazed an opportunity over the bar.

We were gifted the lead once again in the 62nd minute as Mathoho deflected a free kick from Mutizwa into his own nets and once again equalising the score.

Manyama then collected his brace in the 73rd minute, equalising once again for the home side.

Bvuma did well to keep his side in contention for the win from there, making a number of telling saves in the plays that we took shots on target. They then sealed the win for themselves with 11 minutes left as Manyama scored his third for the night.

Even though the boys nver gave up until the final whistle, we were just not able to come back against Chiefs, dropping points in our last away game of the season.

The team will return to Durban and get into some serious preparation for our last game of the season against Stellenbosch FC on Saturday afternoon.

We travel to FNB Stadium tomorrow where we face Kaizer Chiefs in our penultimate game of the 2021 DStv Premiership.

Coach Mandla Ncikazi stated a couple of weeks ago, ‘the last three games of the season will all be cup finals for us’ and this is the second in our fight to stay in 3rd position in the competition.

The squad and coaching staff have been preparing for the mental commitment needed in the next seven days, as well as the physical stamina that we normally produce.

The demand for us to stay focused from now until our last game on Saturday is crucial, and everyone is working at achieving that.

Kaizer Chiefs are also under a variation of pressures presently, and will need 6 points from their final season fixtures should they want to keep any possibility of a Top 8 finish alive.

This will always make your opponent more dangerous than ever, and special attention will need to be given to any change they make in their game plan come kick off.

The game will be televised on SuperSport Variety 4 and as always, play-by-play posts will be available over our social media chanels!

The team would like to thank all of our fans who have already sent wishes of good luck over the past couple of days and all appreciate the backing of the Green and Gold Army!

Three goals sealed a convincing win in our DSTv Premiership game this afternoon against TS Galaxy at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium.

The team showed their intention from the first minute of play, putting pressure on the visitors as soon as we had possession of the ball.  The starting 11 had a clear game plan and executed it well, setting up Michael Gumede for the opening goal in the 7th minute of play.

We doubled the lead in the 32nd minute of play as Pule Mmodi had a brilliant shot at goal, finding his mark and receiving a deserved reward for his work on the field.

TS Galaxy did not look too dangerous in the first stanza and were lucky not to have more goals scored against them at the break as we attacked relentlessly until the half time whistle.

Coming back in the second stanza, we carried on play and our game plan from the first half. TS Galaxy found themselves on the back foot more often than not, and the crisp passing and continual attacking play from us saw Makhubela with a brilliant header to give us the 3rd in the 61st minute.

The visitors put up a decent fight in the last 30 minutes, and had a number of opportunities where they could have scored. Goal stopper Mlungwana make a number of amazing saves to keep a clean sheet for the day and deny the visitors attempts.

It was a brilliant outing from the squad today and a positive result as we look to maintain our 3rd position on the log.

We have a couple of weeks break now until we take on Kaizer Chiefs at FNB Stadium on June 2.

We play a mid week game in the DStv Premiership against TS Galaxy tomorrow afternoon at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium.

With games becoming ever more important for each team as we get closer to the end of the 2020/1 season, tomorrows game is no different, with TS Galaxy looking to stay in a Top 8 spot while we fight to contend for a second place finish for the season.

‘Our team looked very focused and prepared in training. We have 3 cup finals to play which will summarize our whole season.

The team is still on course in fulfilling its objectives, finishing at the highest position in the history of the team and they are only 3 games away from writing their own history and doing it with the brand of attractive Arrows style.’ said Coach Mandla Ncikazi when asked to comment on the upcoming game.

‘Galaxy are fighting for the top 8 finish, Coach Owen Da Gama is using a 1-3-5-2 lately which makes them very dangerously in attack as they have 2 strikers and play a lot of crosses and diagonal balls from wingbacks. ‘

With TS Galaxy losing to log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns in their last outing, they will be wanting to collect points on the road, which will make them a dangerous opponent come game time.

The game will be televised on the SS PSL channel, and play by play action provided on our social media platforms.

We fought hard in the second half of this afternoons Derby game in an attempt to equalise against Maritzburg United but were unable to in the end.

Maritzburg opened the scoring in the 15th minute when Tlolane volleyed in a loose ball off a long throw in from Rae, giving the home side the only goal in the first half of play. We were unsettled in the first 45 and allowed the home side too much space to create opportunities. We settled late in the half and started creating chances, however could just not finish and Mtshali pushed an attempt over the bar just minutes before the break.

Coach Ncikazi made two tactical changes at the break, bringing on Mmodi and Sibiya in an attempt to bring a more attacking game plan. We looked better and more settled but allowed United to extend their lead in the 58th minute as Kutumela found the back of the net.

We responded immediately with Gumede bagging a goal off a cross from Sibiya. This seemed to add some fire to our game and the boys started playing up on attack with more confidence. Maritzburg were not deterred though and used their opportunities well, once again extending their lead in the 62nd minute by Hlongwane.

The boys persevered though, attacking the home side goals and trying to get another goal and a lifeline on the game. A hand ball in the 82nd minute by Maritzburgs Allie saw us being awarded a penalty which Sibiya converted. This sparked a hard drive in the last minutes of play to equalise.

After a good effort in which we dominated possession and position, in which we had a number of attempts at goal, the final whistle was blown. Unfortunately we ended up losing the game and missing out on points.

We have a week now to prepare for a game at home against TS Galaxy who are in their own fight to remain in the Top 8 for the season.

Tomorrow afternoon we face the Team of Choice at the Harry Gwala Stadium in our mid week fixture of the DStv Premiership. The game is set to kick off at 15h00.

Preparations since our last game have been going well, with focus being on how to counter the unpredictability of the Pietermaritzburg based side. The technical team have also been working closely with the players mental preparedness to try and ensure that the pressures of the last games of the season do not affect performance on the pitch.

We have the potential to collect a maximum of 12 points before we wrap up the 2020/21 campaign and it is a target that we would like to achieve.

Maritzburg United have produced a mixed bag of results this season. This is evident in their last 5 game results where they have won just 1 game, drawn 2 and lost 2. The team has been fighting to stay clear of the relegation zone and have produced some surprising results in their campaign.

They will be wanting to collect full points at home, and this is where their unpredictability can work for them.

The game will be televised on the SS PSL Channel (202) and we will be posting live coverage on our social media channels.

A goal late in the first half secured a win against us for AmaZulu in the Durban Derby this afternoon.

The game delivered on the excitement that was expected from both teams from the initial kick off, and fans should not have been disappointed with the caliber of game.

The fist half was an equal footed affair with teams cancelling out each others attacks and keeping pressure on each other in the final third. It looked as if we would head into the break with no score on the board however a goal in the 2nd minute of optional time from Memela saw Usuthu heading to the changeroom with a one goal lead.

Returning to the park, we made 2 changes, and the introduction of Makhubela and Mtshali injected some much needed fire into our game.

We kept pressure on the AmaZulu goals for the entire half and looked determined to score. Unfortunately decisions on the field did not go our way and no matter what we tried, we were not able to break the defense nor find the back of the net.

The team will need to regroup and get their heads into the next game against Maritzburg United at Harry Gwala Stadium on the 12th May.

An early threat on goal from the home side in the 4th minute looked like we were in for a tough match against Mamelodi Sundowns tonight and the 90 minutes of play were just that.

The first half was one that was played with blistering pace from both sides as we looked to play each other out of position and create spaces.

We looked posed to take the lead just before the break as a through ball from Gumede saw Mutizwa with a chance. He was well marked however and did not have space to get power behind the ball and played a shot direct to Onyango.

The second half saw Sundowns once again threaten early in the half. Sibisi and Zuke did well to handle the pressure however and frustrated the home sides attacking players.

We did create some chances but could just not get a decent finishing touch on the ball.

All in all it was a well executed outing from the entire team tonight, and just the 1 point on the road but another to add to the basket as we continue to fight for a great finish to the season.

We will return home and have some serious preparation ahead of the weekends game against AmaZulu FC on Saturday afternoon.

We were held to a goalless draw this afternoon at Nelson Mandela Bay by a determined Chippa United.

The home side, who have been making a late fight to clear themselves from the relegation zone did well to cancel and counter our attacking plays this afternoon.

The match essentially belonged to the keepers this afternoon with both Mlungwana and Watenga making some beautiful saves to respectively keep a clean sheet in the outing.

Once again we created numerous opportunities but were unable to find the back of the net. There are a lot of positives to take from the game though and we need to build on those and convert them to points.

This was not the result that we were hoping for however it keeps us afloat in our objectives for the season.

We have a tough week ahead of us and the staff and players need to remain positive and focused as we first face Mamelodi Sundowns on Wednesday night and then return home for a home game against AmaZulu FC on Saturday.

The team travel to Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium tomorrow to face Chippa United in the DStv Premiership. Kick off will be 15h00.

The teams coaching staff have used the time between Wednesdays encounter, that saw the boys come away with 3 points against SuperSport United, and today to work on instilling a level state of mind in the players.

The team have worked well thus far and need to go into the enconter level headed and focused on the days outcome rather than log position right now. Objectives have been set and those in the match day squad are aware of what will be expected from them.

The Chilli Boys could also feel like they have some wind behind their sails with the appointment of Vladislav Heric as a technical advisor. His arrival could ignite a renewed fight in them and we need to be full aware of the danger they could impose.

The game is not televised, but all of the action can be followed as we post on our social media channels during the 90 minutes.

All eyes will be on Lucas Moripe Stadium as we take on SuperSport United in our midweek DStv Premiership game tomorrow afternoon

This will be an important outing for both teams as we head into the final stages of the competition. We will be wanting to collect full points on the road and will come up against a determined home side who have not collected full points in their last five games.

The team is confident ahead of the game, but are not counting on an easy 90 minutes of play. The objective for the game is points and that is what will be important come the end of the game.

The coaching staff have used the 10 days break to work on a number of areas where they felt we needed to make a marked improvement and will be hoping to bear the fruits of their labour on Wednesday night.

The game will be televised on SuperSport Variety and as always we will also be updating you on the play during the course of the game via our social media channels.

We take on Bloemfontein Celtic at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium on Sunday in our weekend DSTv Premiership fixture. Kick off will be at 15h00, with the game being televised on SuperSport’s PSL channel.

Each month, the techinical team and players set a target amount of points to accumulate from the allotted games. In April, the target set was 10 points, and after our last outing we have achieved just 1 of those.

With only 9 games remaining until the end of the season, 4 of which are in April alone, Sundays result is very important in helping reach that target. It is the only home advantage we have ahead of a tough 3 games away and a must win for us.

Siwelele will not be taking the fixture lightly either, as points added to their seasons haul thus far will keep them in contention for a Top 8 finish come the end of May.

We will be in for an exciting and entertaining game and as usual will be keeping you up to date with the live plays and score over our social media channels.

Swallows FC equalised in the last minute of extra time this afternoon to deny us a win and full points at Dobsonville Stadium.

It was a game that saw us fight in the first half to stop a barrage of attack from the home side and manage to head into the break with no goals against us.

The boys committed to each and every defensive play in the half, literally putting their bodies on the line as we fought to keep the Birds from netting in the first stanza.

We on the other hand, did not create as many chances as we wanted and this was one of Coach Ncikazi’s points at the break.

We came back with a better fight in the second half, and the commitment showed in our play. A tactical change was made with Mtshali replacing Sibiya, bringing some fluidity to our game.

We started creating better opportunities and we eventually made a breakthrough in the 71st minute as Mutizwa crossed for Mmodi, who missed his shot. Parusnath, backing up the play at the near post, managed to connect and play in behind Vries for the lead.

While we did well to defend against a shaken Swallows for the remainder of the official time, they fought back and managed to score in the last minute of extra time off the boot of Mere.

It’s only a point in our target of 10 from the 5 games this month, but an important one never the less.

We will return home to prepare for a game at Sugar Ray Stadium against Bloemfontein Celtic on the 11th April.

We start our months campaign off with a game against Swallows FC at Dobsonville Stadium tomorrow afternoon. The game is set to kick off at 15h00.

This is going to be an important game for both sides as we start heading into the final stages of the seasons competition. Three points from the encounter will bolster either teams campaign and come game time, both sides will have that in mind.

This will be an important start to the month, one in which we have 5 games in the DSTv Premiership competition, and a win away from home could be a positive one for the teams momentum.

We would maintain a point lead on 3rd and 4th place on the log and still hold a game in hand.

Swallows FC, having only played 19 games so far in their campaign will be well aware that full points could once again see them sitting in contention for 3rd or 4th place.

We will be in for an entertaining game on the afternoon. You will be able to catch the action live on the SuperSport PSL channel as well as being able to follow us on our social media channels for play by play action.

A goal a piece in the first half of the game saw us play to a draw against Cape Town City at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium this afternoon.

In what was an entertaining game, it was Cape Town City who opened the scoring in the 4th minute as Ajagun tapped in a loose ball after Mlungwana was unable to hold onto an initial save.

This fired the boys up and their determination to equalise quickly was evident in their play. We scored in almost the same fashion in the 12th minute. Our initial goal attempt was saved and then Ndwandwe being unmarked on the near post, tapped the ball past Leeuwenburgh to equalise.

The second half was uneventful as far as goals were concerned but both sides put great effort in to try and find the winner for their team.

We will have time to regroup and prepare for our next game which will only be on the 3rd of April as we travel to Dobsonville Stadium to take on Swallows FC

We return to the field on Saturday afternoon with a home game fixture against Cape town City in the DSTv Premiership. Kick off at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium will be at 15h00.

After a 10 day break in games after returning from Limpopo, tomorrows fixture will be an important one as we look to keep our momentum in the 2020/21 competition.

Collecting 3 points at home could keep us at a well fought for position on the table. We would be able to maintain a position in the top 3 and continue a fight to regarded as serious contenders in the seasons competition.

The team will have to maintain their focus on the pitch, and maintain the teamwork shown in their last encounters in order to come out on top come game time.

Cape Town City have also had a two week break and have reportedly been working on ironing out some of their issues that have been plaguing them.

They have not enjoyed the success that they have wanted so far and have slipped to 8th place on the log. A position that they will be fighting hard to improve on.

We should have an interesting game on hand and you can catch the action on the DSTv PSL channel.

Play by play action will also be shared on our social media channels so follow us there if you are unable to catch the game.

We secured another win on the road tonight as we faced off against Tshakhuma FC at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium.

In what was a disrupted first half as play was suspended due to lightning, we managed to take the lead in the 25th minute after Mutizwa headed in a cross from Makhubela.

We created a number of chances after that but could just not add to our lead before the break.

In the second stanza we once again took the game to the home side. Arubi kept them in the game with some well executed saves between the sticks. This helped them to keep their hopes alive as Ndengane scored in the 48th minute off a free kick.

We had to gather our composure and fight as Tshakhuma attacked with renewed vigor.

The spirit that the boys have shown all season so far kicked in and once again we attacked with intent. Sabelo was pulled down in the box on one of our plays and we were awarded a penalty.

Conco sealed it for us in the 86th minute, converting the penalty and ensuring the 3 points for the night.

We have a bit of a break between games now, but return for service at home on March 20th against Cape Town City.

Thank you for all of your support tonight. Your energy and cheering wherever you may have been carried the team tonight and we are all greatly appreciative for that.

Goals in the second half from Parusnath and Ndwandwe secured an away win and 3 points on the road against Black Leopards at Thohoyandou Stadium this afternoon.

With a tense first half that saw Leopards opening the scoring in the 4th minute as Hlongwane found the back of the net, and a fight back from the team to equalise just under 15 minutes before the break, it was the second stanza that determined the outcome of the game today.

Leopards made 3 substitutions at the break as they looked to break the deadlock by bringing on 3 additional midfielders and weakening their defense.

We took advantage of this, opening up the game more and feeding the ball wide on occasion to penetrate the defense to create scoring opportunities.

While we managed on a number of occasions to play into range, we could just not find the final touches to capitalise on the chances created.

Our breakthrough came in the 78th minute. Parusnath starting and finishing the play as he played up the middle, played wide to Mutizwa who delivered the ball to Conco on the far post. The brilliant finish saw Parusnath run back onto the played back ball and put it past Ndlovu for our second goal.

In the last minute of extra time, we sealed the win as Ndwandwe scored off an assist from Sabelo.

A positive start to our 2 game on their road trip.

The team will be back in action on Wednesday March 10th as they take on Tshakhuma FC at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium.

We head to Thohoyandou Stadium tomorrow afternoon as we face off with Black Leopards in our return game for the 2020/21 season. Kick off will be at 15h30.

The team and technical team have been preparing for their Limpopo commitments this month and get on the road with Sundays game. A target number of points have been set and there is a positive feeling that the task at hand is more than possible.

After losing the first leg game to Leopards, we will be looking for redemption while aiming at bolstering our position on the log.

Black Leopards, looking to complete a double on home ground will be a challange, and one that we will be expecting. Adding to this is the fact that they are fighting for every point they can at present.

The game will not be televised. We will however be keeping you up to date on the progression over our social media channels, so follow us on your favourite platform.

We were held to a goalless draw tonight at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium against Baroka FC.

The game was an uneventful one and we did not create the number of scoring opportunities we wanted to. Baroka came to the stadium with a clear plan to unsettle our normal play and this was evident in how they closed down our attack.

The second half was not as disciplined as the first. The frustration from both sides evident in the play.

Once again, both teams played well until the crucial final touches, ending up in missed opportunities to score.

We head off to Limpopo this weekend where we take on Black Leopards in the first of two games on the road. the game will be played on Sunday at 15h30.

We take on Baroka FC at home tomorrow night in our mid week DSTv Premiership commitment. The game kicks off at 17h00, and will be televised on SuperSport PSL channel.

The boys will be looking to get back on track after suffering our first home defeat in the league last week against leopards. Tomorrows game will be a start to an important month where we could collect a decent amount of points both at home and on the road.

A home win would do well as far as log position is concerned as well, and could potentially see us climb a position or two.

While Baroka have not had the results they have been wanting lately, they have just come off a win at home and will be wanting to keep a positive momentum.

We will be posting our play-by-play on our social media channels. So, if you are not able to watch the game, follow us and keep up to date.

We suffered a home defeat against Black Leopards at home tonight. Once again, a goal is extra time was our demise after fighting back to equalise in the second half.

The game did not start well for us after losing Nkosinathi Sibisi to a head injury in the 3rd minute of play. This seemed to have a definite affect on the players who could just not find any rhythm to their game in the first 45 minutes. We allowed Leopards to come up on attack too often and they managed to score in the 33rd minute through Anas.

We managed to contain the score until the break and then returned to play looking completely different. We attacked better in the second stanza, looking more structured and determined in our play. The introduction of fresh legs by bringing Sibiya and Mtshali into play was a great decision for us and we ended up controlling play better.

This saw us score an equaliser in the 68th as Michael Gumede tapped in a squared ball from Mutizwa.

We looked confident and were looking like we could take the game, but then Mmodi was red carded and the game swung again. We were forced to play more defensively, looking to hang onto a point for a draw.

5 minutes of additional time was added and Leopards used it to their advantage. they played up on attack and kept pressure on us in the final third. Once again Anas struck with just a minute to play and secured the win for the visitors.

A tough day on the field for the boys.

We will regroup and look ahead to our next game against Baroka FC at home next Wednesday, March 03.

We return to the field tomorrow night as we take on Black Leopards in a home DSTv Premiership game. The game will kick off at 17h00.

The team remains positive and in a fighting spirit ahead of tomorrow nights game against Lidoda Duvha. Having a positive record at home so far this season, the boys are looking to keep their momentum going as we get into the second half of the League competition.

They are well aware that a wounded team can be a dangerous one, and have been preparing for the visitors to throw all they have into the 90 minutes to secure some much needed points for the season.

Unfortunately, the games are still not open to spectators, however live broadcast of the game will be televised on the SuperSport PSL channel.

You will also be able to follow all of the action on our social media channels.

We came away with maximum points in our encounter against Stellenbosch FC tonight.

The side started the game looking positive and determined to score today and this came true on the 15th minute as Pule Mmodi found the back of the net to open our account.

We dominated play in the first half but missed a number of chances to extend the lead through attempts from Mutizwa, Parusnath and a second from Mmodi.

At the break, this sentiment was extended to the team by Coach Ncikazi, inviting the players to make better use of the chances created.

In the second stanza, some positional changes by Stellenbosch FC saw them play back into the game a bit ,chasing a two goal lead after M.Gumede scored in the 55th minute.

They managed to close the gap in the 62nd minute off a goal from Mendieta and threatened our defense a couple of times.

We sealed the game in the 77th minute, M.Gumede getting his brace off a mistake from the Stellies defense.

The boys pulled together from this point and once again dominated play while retaining the lead until full time.

We return home and prepare for our home game against Black Leopards on the 23rd February.

We travel to Stellenbosch to take on 12th placed Stellenbosch FC in our DSTv Premiership game tomorrow night.

After not getting the result we wanted in our Nedbank Cup game, the team has pulled together and channeled their energy on the seasons goals for the DSTv Premiership.

We are well placed presently on the log and need to accumulate as many points as possible now to ensure we can maintain and grow.

The boys are working well as a unit and every player is keen to step up and do their part should they be called on.

Stellenbosch, in a position on the log that they would want to get out of, will surely be a tough contender at home.

The club would like to thank you for all messages of support sent before, during and after the games. This is encouraging to the team as we continue our journey this season.

We will be giving you play by play coverage of the game, so if you are not yet following us on social media, please do so so that you will not miss any of the action.

Our Nedbank Cup game went to penalties to decide a winner at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium tonight.

After the initial 90 minutes of play, the score was 1-1 after Majoro cancelled out Micheal Gumede’s first half goal in the second minute of referee’s additional time.

This put the game into extra time.

After the two additional halves of 15 minutes, neither side was able to gain an upper hand in the score forcing the game to penalties to decide an outcome.

While Sibisi, Sabelo, Lung and Sibiya converted, it was Phiri on our fourth attempt who fired fractionally high, finding the bar.

AmaZulu managed to convert all of their attempts, winning the match off Memela’s last penalty attempt.

The game in general delivered all that a Derby should and was entertaining from the first whistle to the last.

We will regroup and refocus on the DSTv Premiership this week as we have a game on Friday night against Stellenbosch FC.

We take on Amazulu FC in the last-32 of the Nedbank Cup tomorrow afternoon at the Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium. Kick off will be at 17h00.

It will be an interesting encounter and the second between the sides for the season.

We are expecting a different side to the one we met at Johnsson Kings Park Stadium. Under the guidance of Benni McCarty since then, they have performed well and proved to be a formidable team to beat.

We are confident that our fitness, and the transition game we are playing at the moment will be two factors that could keep our opponents at bay come game time.

With this in mind, both teams will be wanting to progress to the next stage of the knock out competition and we will need to expect the unexpected from Usuthu.

The game will no doubt deliver on all of the expectations of a Durban Derby, so be sure to catch the action live on the SuperSport PSL channel.

If you are unable to do so, follow us on one of our social media platforms for up to the minute posts on the progression of the game.

Image: Steve Haag Sports

A goal in each half of the game from Mmodi secured a win for us over Orlando Pirates tonight at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium.

Pirates looked to instill some pressure in the opening minutes, attacking into our final third and putting some pressure on Mlungwana but we countered their game plan and in the 5th minute had Ofori under pressure between his sticks.

The sides went head to head from there on with Mlungwana doing well to deal with pressure and making a save from an attempt from Hotto.

Quick thinking just before the break saw us take an attacking throw where Lunga put Mmodi in a favourable position in the box. He took his chance and sent Ofori diving for the save, but the ball kept low and beat the keeper.

We went into the break with a well deserved lead.

The second half started with a double substitution from the visiting side as they looked to change formation and game plan to try and obtain an upper hand. They managed to retain better possession and keep us under more pressure than the first half.

In the 60th minute they had an opportunity to equalise after the ball was handled in the box, but the resulting attempt at conversion by Lorch was way over the mark.

We increased our deep passes and restarts which saw us get behind Pirates defence more. In one of these plays Mmodi once again found himself at the end of the ball and played another low shot to beat Ofori and scored his brace for the night.

While Pirates fought to pull something back before full time, they were unable to break a well disciplined defensive team tonight.

An outstanding effort from the squad and a deserved 3 points at home.

The boys will now start preparation for the Nedbank Cup Last 32 game on Saturday against AmaZulu FC at home.

It was a fast paced game this afternoon at Sugar Ray Xulu stadium where we walked away victorious against Maritzburg United.

Neither team took their foot off the gas in a very competitive game that saw the scoreline change between the halves.

In the first half of the game, Maritzburg played the better attacking game and were unlucky not to take an early lead with Claasen missing an opportunity in the 8th minute.

They set some dominance and had us on the back foot with Moseamedi proving to be a danger man with two attempts at goal.

Their break through came in the 35th minute as Moseamedi squared the ball in front of the goal, allowing Kutumela a clear shot and securing the lead going into the break.

In the second stanza we returned to the field fighting. We looked to put pressure on the visitors from the kick off and carried this game plan out well.

Mtshali equalised for us off some persistent pressure in the 55th minute and then we took the lead with similar play in the 68th as Mutizwa found the back of the net.

The remainder of the game was a full out battle. Both teams created opportunities, Maritzburg were once again unlucky not to equalise as a header hit the cross bar and we could have extended the lead from a number of plays created.

A deserved win at home for the team and a positive one as we prepare for Orlando Pirates at home on Tuesday, 2nd February.

We return to our home ground to face Maritzburg United in the DSTv Premiership on Saturday evening. Kick off for the Derby will be 17h00, with the game being televised on the SS PSL channel.

After our game against Cape Town City, the side returned to Durban and began preparation for tomorrows Derby game against Maritzburg United. A collective decision was made to put the weekends game behind us, focus on the positives from the game and build on that in the preparation against our provincials neighbours.

The team aims at keeping a good home record and have been concentrating on righting some defensive errors as well as looking at new plays to capitalise on the attacking strategies come game time.

A win at home will be good for our log standings, but we are also aware of the game hype that comes when facing Maritzburg United

This Derby temperament will be heightened by the fact that Maritzburg are hungry to fight their way up the bottom of the log, and a win could see them jump 3 places.

We will be keeping our loyal fans up to date on social media during game time, or, if you’re able to catch the game on SuperSport, tune into the PSL channel for all of the action.

The squad travel to the Mother City to take on Cape Town City in tomorrows DSTv Premiership game . Kick off is scheduled for 15h30.

Our mid week game against Orlando Pirates has once again been a positive for the team as we continue to show determination and drive on the field. Although Coach Ncikazi is happy with the results, he still feels there is room for improvement and with confidence levels at a good place, this is the time for the team to take more chances when in front of goals.

With a game in hand, we sit level with Cape Town City on 19 points on the log and tomorrows encounter will be an important one for the home side.

Cape Town City have had a mixed bag of results over their last few games but are not a side to take lightly in the competition.

The coaching staff will be looking for the boys to keep level headed, focused on the games objective and to come away with a win from the encounter.

The game will be televised on SuperSport and you can follow us on our social media channels for live updates on the game.

We played to a goalless draw this afternoon against Orlando Pirates in Soweto. The score was a true reflection of the game with the sides sharing stats almost at 50/50 in all aspects.

The Buccaneers started the game at a blistering pace, looking to catch us on the back foot and were disallowed a goal from an offside position in the first minute.

It was the home side who had the second clear cut chance just 10 minutes before the half time break with a header from Lorch coming off the upright from a well placed Sam cross.

Coming back after the break, we managed to change up our game plan and looked more dangerous on the ball creating better opportunities but just not being able to find defining final touches.

We increased pressure in the final 20 minutes of the game and got behind the Pirates defence better. A laid back pass saw Mmodi with an attempt from range which just failed to dip above Ofori.

A great game on the road from the squad and another positive to build from as we head to Cape town to face Cape Town city on Sunday.

We are looking to rock the Buccaneer’s boat tomorrow night at Orlando Stadium as we take them on in the DSTv Premiership.

Coming off a home win, the squad will be travelling to Soweto with some confidence behind them ahead of a tough encounter.

While we have managed to do well so far in the season, there is room for improvement on our finishing in the final third and tomorrows game is one in which we will need to follow through on that in order to come away with a full tally of points.

There is just a point between us and Orlando Pirates on the log table, making the game even more important to either side to win,

The game will be televised on SuperSport’s PSL channel only, but we will provide a play by play encounter of the game on our social media platforms for you to follow should you not be able to catch the game live.

We head to Princess Magogo Stadium on Tomorrow afternoon to take on Tshakhuma FC in the DSTv Premiership. Kick off at 15:00.

The squad is feeling confident ahead of the clash after claiming a 1-0 win over Chippa United at Moses Mabhida Stadium a week ago, but are aware of the need for the battling TTM to gain some points.

Wanting to continue on their positive results, both the technical team and players are working to stay focussed and not become complacent come game time.

The game will be televised on SuperSports Variety 3 channel as well as SABC Sport.

If you unable to catch the game, then follow us for play by play feed come game time.

We host Chippa United at Moses Mabhida Stadium in our weekend DSTv Premiership fixture. The game gets underway at 15h30.

After a disappointing postponement to our midweek fixture against Black Leopards due to heavy rain, the boys are aiming to continue our positive home game point haul against Chippa United.

Although a set back, the squad have bounced back to a positive mind set in their preparation against the Chilli Boys. Both the technical staff and the players are intent on coming away with maximum points and maintain their seasons goal of a top 5 finish.

Chippa are coming off a well fought for home draw against SuperSport United. They fought back and clinched an equaliser just 3 minutes before stoppage time on Wednesday night.

They seem to have found some motivation under the guidance of Dan Malesela and are making a fight from the lower ranks of the log.

Unfortunately the game will not be televised but our normal play-by-play of the action will be available on lur social media channels.

We kick off the New Year with a home game against Black Leopards tomorrow night at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium. Kick off will be at 17h00 to allow for Covid restrictions to be upheld.

The team has performed well to date, not having lost a game, and are looking to collect full points against the visitors tomorrow night. Coach Ncikazi and his technical team have been working hard to ensure that the consistent form of the team comes through in the game with a positive result come full time.

In the last 5 matches, the squad has managed to secure 7 points, 3 of them against AmaZulu away while collecting a point for draws against Mamelodi Sundowns, Swallows FC, TS Galaxy and Kaizer Chiefs.

Lidoda Duvha have had a mixed bag of results over their last 5 games. They lost 2-1 at home in their last outing against Swallows FC, drew against TTM and Kaizer Chiefs, lost 1-0 to Bloem Celtic and collected full points against Maritzburg United at home in November.

They are a team who can produce some great play and unsettle any team on the day. Although they are battling to find points, they often open the scoring in their games in the first quarter of the game. They have confident players up front in Anas and Karuru and are able to cause upsets on the right day.

The game will be televised on SuperSport Variety 3 (Channel 208) and we will also be keeping you informed on the games proceedings. So follow us on your preferred social media channel should you not be able to watch the game.

We shared the spoils once again this afternoon against Mamelodi Sundowns and retained our unbeaten record so far for the season.

We enjoyed a strong midfield game and dominated the opposition. This allowed us to create a number of attacking plays from different angles on the field.

This created problems for the visting side. Sundowns however opened the scoring as Mvala headed in off a corner in the 17th minute.

We replied just 5 minutes later with a well executed play that saw an opportunity created for M.Gumede. He went low and headed in for the equaliser.

The second half saw action from both sides but neither us nor Sundowns were able to find the back of the set a second time.

We have a short festive period break now and return to the field on the 5th of January as we play Black Leopards at home in our first game of 2021.

We finish off the 2020 half of the current season with a home game against Mamelodi Sundowns tomorrow at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium. Kick off at 15h30.

The squad will be heading to the field feeling confident after the midweek win over AmaZulu, but are fully aware of the task they have at hand, and that will be to beat the log leaders. Coach Mandla Ncikazi is serving up some great play through the team and is sure to have his strategy worked out for Saturday ‘s clash.

Masandawana come off a 2-0 win over TS Galaxy and also remain unbeaten so far in the 2020/21 season. They have won five of their encounters and drawn two to date and will be looking to continue their stride before heading into the festive break.

We will be looking to remain a formidable force to beat on home turf on Saturday.

The match will be televised on the PSL channel (202) as well as on SABC1 and action will be reported on during the course of the game over our social media channels.

Tomorrow night We face AmaZulu FC at the Jonsson Kings Park Stadium in a Reconciliation Day Durban Derby showdown. Game kicks off at 17h30.

The team have put in a lot of hard work and determination in the last week and a half in preparation for the game. While confidence is high with not having lost a game so far in the season, the coaching staff and players are all aware of the extra pressure in a Derby game and have prepared accordingly.

Last week at practice, captain Matome Mathaine said ‘We are building up to Wednesdays game. After our draw against Swallows, practice is about recovery and working on issues, but as we get closer to the game, we intensify all aspects of our prep. We are united as a squad in our objectives of a win on the 16th’

Usuthu always bring their ‘A’ game when we meet and tomrrow will be no different. They have 6 points from 6 games and a home win for them would go a far way in bettering their 11th position on the log.

The game will be televised on SuperSport chanel 202 and we will also keep you covered on the game over social media.

We had to settle for a point this afternoon at home against Swallows FC in the DStv Permiership

Both sides played a hard and fast game, not wanting to let up and give the upper hand from the first whistle.

We allowed Swallows into the game in the twentieth minute after a mix up at the back. Mbokoma was well placed to take advantage of the mishap and easily scored for the visting side after Mlungwana lost his footing trying to make the save.

The sides battled it out and equaled each other play for play in a physical game. We managed to equalise just 11 minutes later after being awarded a free kick just outside of the Swallows box.

Sibiya took the set piece and curled it beautifully around the wall, catching Vries who hardly moved off his spot on the line.

The second half was uneventful as far as goals were concerned. Both sides gave their all but were not able to convert the chances created.

We prepare now for our Derby game against AmaZulu at Jonsson Kings Park Stadium on the 16th December at 17h30.

We host Swallows FC at Sugar Ray Xulu Satdium tomorrow afternoon in what will be a very exciting match to follow up on. The DStv Premiership game kicks off at 15h30 in Clermont.

Both sides are unbeaten after five games so far this season and will be eager to continue this streak come the end of the game. We have performed well but have not collected as many full point results as we have liked.

That being said, the team has managed to show determination on the pitch and have been preparing for a tough encounter against the recently promoted Swallows team. The team have been running some high intensity drills during the week, and Coach Ncikazi believes that taking the right opportunities created through these could give us a positive result.

Swallows will be arriving with elevated confidence after their 1-0 win over Kaizer Chiefs at the end of November at Dobsonville Stadium. They are looking to prove a point that they are back to stay in the top league.

The game will not be televised, but follow our play by play commentary on our social media platforms over the course of the game.

We played to another draw in the DSTv Premiership this afternoon against TS Galaxy at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit.

With TS Galaxy setting an early dominance in the game, it was another tough day at the office for our defenders. Sibisi did well in the 8th minute to clear the ball off the line as Shozi had an attempt on goals.

We then were given an opportunity to work some magic off a free kick in a favourable position. Mutizwa made a clean delivery to the box, but Msimango managed to clear the ball before it could reach Ndwandwe who was waiting to receive.

The remainder of the half was all about our defending and once again Mlungwana did well between the posts for us. The young shot stopper kept us in the game well with his hard work.

After the break we once again missed the opportunty to take the lead as Shitolo found the woodwork off another well placed free kick from Mutizwa.

The stalemate was broken in the 72nd minute as Mmodi took advantage of an error at the back from Modisane, putting the ball past the keeper and putting us in the lead.

the intensity on the park grew after that with TS Galaxy fighting hard to score the equaliser while we tried all we could to kill the game and hold on for a win.

At the death Mogaila managed to equal matters and sure a draw for his side.

We return to Durban where we will prepare for a home game against Moroka Swallows at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium on the 5th December.

We played to an action packed draw with Kaizer Chiefs this afternoon at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium.

The first 45 saw no action as far as goals were concerned but it did not lack entertaining play from the boys as they took the game to Chiefs from the first whistle. The attacking play was solid and the determination to score was clear. We had a number of decent plays up the wing, with Conco doing well to get behind the defense and feeding the balls into the box, but we just lacked in the finishing and could not break the final line of the Amakhozi defense. Our best chance came from a Gumede attempt in the 10th minute which went over the bar.

Chiefs had a number of chances to score too, Castro missed a header as it hit the woodwork and then pushed in the final minute of the first half but were denied by a great save from Mlungwana. This saw the teams going to the break with no goals on the scoreboard.

The second half was completely different! We did not seem to have as much of the ball as these did in the first half an had to use our possession well. We were awarded a penalty in the 49th minute after Nkombelo was taken down in the box by Manyama. Conco made no mistake in his conversion and so began the goal scoring for the half.

Billiat and Castro started putting more pressure on the defense and managed to get behind the line a couple of times.

Castro managed a brace for his efforts, scoring witha header in the 58th minute and then finding the back of the net again the 65th, giving the visitors the lead.

We showed great determination and never gave up. Although we did not enjoy the possession we would have liked, we made good decisions when we had the ball on boot. In the 70th minute Sibiya, who had come onto the park just minutes before, curled a great ball in past Khune to equalise.

A great effort from the entire team today, there was not one player who did not give their all.

We go at it again, next week Saturday 28 November when we take on TS Galaxy at Mbombela Stadium at 15:30

We take to the field again tomorrow afternoon as we face Kaizer Chiefs in our second home game of the season. Kick off is scheduled for 15h30.

The team is confident ahead of the game, having done well in the first three games of the season, but are very aware of Kaizer Chiefs desire to turn their results around. Skipper, Matome Mathiane is determined that this will not be against us on Saturday. “We are well aware that they have not won in a while and that they will be coming at us, it won’t be an easy game. They are still a big team, and we will give them the respect they deserve. But going to play Chiefs, we know that they will want to bounce back to winning ways at our expense. That’s something we don’t want, a team that has not been winning to get back to winning ways against us. So we are well prepared to play against them.”

There is no complacency going into this game, with the whole squad being aware of the wounded Chiefs side.

The game will be televised, and we will as always be sending out play by play updates over our social media channels if you are unable to watch.

A late goal in extra time from Velemseni Ndwandwe ensured a point away from home for us against Baroka FC.

In what was a very tight game from the first whistle, we battled it out until the dying minutes at Peter Mokaba Stadium, eventually getting a decision that favoured us and managing to capitalise on it.

The team once again played a well structured game tonight. Our midfielders did well to secure the ball and this allowed some very expressive play to happen up field as Parusnath, Conco, Mmodi and Gumede pushed into the firing line. Unfortunately, no matter what we did, Chipezeze did well to deny us finishing any play.

We needed to dig deep to pull together and deal with the loss of a player after Lunga received his second yellow and marching orders in the 66th minute. This made it more difficult for us to find an equaliser to Baroka’s 48th minute goal by Masiya.

The team showed some amazing character and never gave up. We were awarded a free kick in the last minute of extra time and it was Mutizwa, playing off the bench, that delivered a well weighter cross to the box where Ndwandwe connected to equal the scores and ensure a point from the game.

We will have a couple of weeks break now and return to the field on the 21st November as we take on Kaizer Chiefs at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium.

Were back at it again tomorrow night as we take on Baroka FC at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in our third game of the DSTV Premiership . Which Kicks off at 19h30.

Coming off a 3-1 win against SuperSport United at home last week, the team are in a positive space heading into the game. In our first two games of the season, the team has performed well both on attack and defense and we are looking to take this game play to the host team. The techincal team is happy with how the game plans are being carried out, with each player on the field contributing what is needed to create scoring opportunities.

Baroka will be a tough contender at home as always. They have retained full points from their season openers against Maritzburg United and Black Leopards, and have made it clear that they intend scoring goals this season.

The game is not televised, but once again we will be keeping you up to date with a play-by-play feed on our social platforms.

We secured a win in our first home game of the season as we beat SuperSport United 3-1 at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium tonight.

Sifiso Mlungwana made a brilliant save to a Grobler snap shot in the fifth minute after both sides got off to a fast paced start to the game. Both teams kept up an intense speed to their play until around the fifteenth minute when everyone seemed to settle on the ball. After the first half water break, we played with more composure and looked confident playing up to the box. The midfielders did well to turn over the ball and feed the likes of Mtshali, Makhubela and M.Gumede up front. Although a number fo opportunities were created, we were just unable to break the last line of defense.

This play led to us securing a number of corners, and it was off one of these that up stepped our captain Matome Mathiane, who scored a header from a corner. The goal gave us confidence going into the break with.

SuperSport were unable to get into the game in the second half. They seemed frustrated and this became evident in their play, allowing us to take charge and look for another scoring opportunity. In the sixty ninth minute after just coming onto the field, Ndwandwe doubled the lead with a low strike,

We paid for some poor discipline after that when Mokoena was able to pull one back off a free kick that deflected on the way into the back of the net.

Makhubela score a well deserved goal in the second minute of extra time to end the hopes of any comeback for the visitors.

A positive start for the side to build off as we prepare to take on Baroka FC next week.

Tomorrow night we host Supersport United at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium for our first home game of the 2020/21 DSTv Premiership.

After travelling to Bloemfontein and coming home with just a point from the trip, the boys are looking to take advantage of a home pitch and secure maximum points in the nights outing. Coach Ncikazi was happy with the performance of the team against Phunya Sele Sele but acknowledged that it was just one error that cost us the additional 2 points, and he will be aiming at reducing errors come game time tomorrow night.

Matsatsantsa on the other hand are coming off a comfortable home game win against Black Leopards on the weekend. Bradley Grobler secured a brace for his side.

The game kicks off at 19h30, and will not be televised, but we will be keeping you informed on the progress of the game over our social media platforms.

A goal in the 59th minute from Sepana Letsoalo equalised the game this afternoon at Dr Molemela Stadium as we faced Bloemfontein Celtic in the first game of the DSTv Premiership.

We had a solid start to the game, and went on the attack from the first whistle, securing an attacking corner and letting the host team know we were there for a result. The pressure we applied, along with enterprising play from Shitolo, Parusnath, Makhubela and debutante Mmodi saw us getting to the strike zone, applying pressure on the Celtic defence.

This paid off for us in the 16th minute as Makhubela opened the scoring for the game after Shitolo won the ball in midfield, fed Mmodi who then layed the ball off to Makhubela who finished off the move by finding th back of the net.

Coming back from the break, Bloem Celtic upped their game plan and put us on the back foot a number of times. We managed to keep our planned formation and remained disciplined in our defence. It was an error at the back that allowed the attacking Celtic players through that we lost the lead.

A good fight for dominance took place in the last 15 minutes of the game with both sides trying hard to score but failing.

A point off the first game of the season and a lot to build on as we return home for our first home game of the season on Wednesday night against SuperSport United.

Our last game of the 2019/2020 season again Chippa United ended with 1-0 loss at Orlando Stadium this afternoon.

The game was a physical one, with both sides not holding back as they looked to set domainance in the game.

We allowed a gap in defence in the 23rd minute and Kwem, who had been threatening in the Chippa plays, found himself with enough space to take an easy shot at target ehich beat the gloves on Mlungwana.

Although we fought back, created a number fo opportunities, we were just not able to find the touches needed in front of goals.

It was not the ending we wanted to the game, nor the season, but we live to fight again next season.

We would like to thank all of our support throughout the season, and can not wait to see our supporters as soon as it will be possible.

It was an intense battle for points tonight at Emirates Airline Park. Both Bloemfontein Celtics and us were wanting to secure maximum points from the outing but ended up settling for a point each after full time.

From the first minute of the game it was clear that both teams were going to try and determine the game plan and then counter that going forward. This ended up in a midfield battle with neither side backing down to allow each other space to attack.

We had a number of shots on target, with Parusnath having a good chance, but he was unable to get enough power into his shot to beat the keeper. Once again, Mlungwana did well between the sticks and had a couple of shot stoppers for us and kept us in the game.

One point keeps us in slim contention for a Top 8, but there are a number fo variables that will need to fall into place for this to happen.

The team will use the next couple of days to prepare for the season finale against Chippa United at Orlando Stadium on Saturday.

We continued our disappointing results in the bio bubble tonight with a loss to Cape Town City at Emirates Airline Park.

The first half saw The Citizens rotating their players well and making solid attacking plays into the final third from early on in the game. Defensively we battled to look solid, with Shitolo not being able to fall back from his midfield position quickly enough and leaving gaps in the defence. On top of this, Lunga seemed off form and this allowed Cape Town City’s Fargie Lakay to secure two early goals.

We battled to come back from these errors, and took a while to shake off the set back and start to look more composed on the ball.

We suffered an injury set back as well with Gumede coming off the field just before the break.

Coming into the second half we had to replace Siyabonga Dube with a back strain and Lunga came off. The two defenders were replaced with Conco and Sibiya, adding some fresh legs and attacking players to the game. This changed our tempo and we looked better on the ball. We created some good attacking chances which were countered well by the City defence. Morris then scored the third for The Citizens against the flow of play, our defence was left wide open and he slotted an easy goal for the visitors.

We pulled one back in the 74th minute when we were awarded a free kick just 10m from the box. Mutizwa curled the ball over the wall well into the bottom left corner.

Although we did well to command the possession in the second half we were just not able to score again. Parusnath has a great full laced shot on target which was saved, but apart from that there was nothing that threatened Cape Town City’s lead.

The cherry on the top for the visiting team was a penalty awarded in extra time, which was converted by Lakay for his hat trick.

A goal in the 90th minute by Sundowns replacement player Zwane secured them the win at Dobsonville Stadium.

After an impressive game that saw us go pound for pound against the Sundowns lads, it took a pair of fresh legs from the Sundowns bench to eventually break our defence and find the back of the net.

The lads played a solid game tonight, and each and every player put all that they had into the 90 minutes on the park. We played well on attack when we needed to and had some shots at goal but none gave us the break so so badly wanted.

Defensively, each man put his heart on his sleeve and we kept the Sundowns attack at bay for most of the game. They did have a couple of opportunities to score early, but the dedication shown from Mlungawana frustrated them as he made some very impressive saves once again.

It is another blow to our aims of finishing in the top 8 for the season, but the target is not yet unreachable for us.

We have the opportunity to pull back points in our last three games of the season, starting with Cape Town City on Saturday night.

We have a tough start to the week on Monday night with a game against, Mamelodi Sundowns at Dobsonville Stadium. It will be an evening kick off at 18h00.

We have had a tough three games so far in the BSE and have only secured 1 point out of a potential 9. This has thrown our fight for a Top 8 finish and we need ot get back on track in order to be able to secure enough points before the end of the season.

With Cape Town City, Highlands Park, Stellenbosch FC and ourselves all sitting with 33 points after 26 games, and Bloem Celtic just a point behind, it’s a five way fight for two spots in the top half of the log.

We will need to find some confidence against Sundowns and believe in ourselves to be able to take the win from them on the night.

Sundowns themselves have not had the results they may have been looking for. They have won 2 game, drawn 3 and lost one in their last 5 games and should they want to keep on the heels of Kaizer Chiefs for the title. They will be looking for full points tomorrow night as well.

The game will be televised, and a play by play available for you on our social media platforms.

Lets send some positive energy to the team building up to the game, send us messages on your preferred social network, and let the boys see that we are behind them.

We play our first home game at the Emirates Airline Park against Black Leopards. Scheduled kick off is at 13h30.

We will be looking to pick up 3 points from the encounter to add to the 1 point we have secured so far from our BSE games.

While our last games have seen us look structured and disciplined, we have failed to convert the opportunities created. The objective in tomorrows encounter will be to capitalize on those and continue our fight for a Top 8 finish.

Black Leopards will not be taking the fixture lightly. The side are fighting to stay in top flight football and will be wanting to take any opportunity to secure points. They would have analysed our play as much as possible and looking to counter from the first whistle of the match.

The game will be televised on Supersport, however, if you are unable to watch we will be doing our normal play by play posting on our social media platforms.

Missed chances from both sides in the first half of the game today saw us play to a goalless draw against Bidvest Wits at the FNB Stadium this afternoon.

The game started off at quite a good pace, with Wits hunting for their first win after returning to the league games. They played the ball to us, and put us on the back foot while looking for space to create scoring chances.

We looked more composed than in our last outing and managed to keep a sound structure both defensively and offensively. This made Wits have to work that little bit harder, and allowed us to defend well against the determined Students.

They delivered some good balls to the box, and were denied off a header attempt from Macuphu that just went over Mlungwana gloves but hit the crossbar.

We were also denied by the woodwork as Gumede took a shot at target in the first half. This would be the only decent opportunity we had at scoring in the first 45.

The second half delivered more missed opportunities for both sides. And this would evntually play out till full time.

Not a full haul of points, but an important one for us in our quest for a Top 8 spot this season.

We turn our attention to our next game tomorrow afternoon at the FNB Stadium, when we take on Bidvest Wits. The scheduled kick off is 15h30.

After Saturdays game where we felt we outplayed Stellenbosch,but were unlucky to concede in the 49th minute and not come back from it. The team has analysed their play and have made points to improve on ahead of tomorrows game. With games coming quickly now, it was encouraging that there were no set backs with injury and this is a point that we would like to maintain as we look to achieve a Top 8 finish.

Bidvest Wits will be a formidable opponent as always and will be looking to secure a double header in the season against us. Their return to the field saw them draw against Orlando Pirates on Saturday, adding a point to their fight for at least a 3rd place finish to their season.

The game will be televised on SuperSport4, and as always we will be giving you coverage over our social media platforms. Although we can not play in front of you, the bus are playing for you our faithful supporters, so send messages of encouragement. They will be appreciated!

A single goal in the 49th minute of play was enough to give Stellenbosch FC a win against us this afternoon.

With both sides coming into the game after no competite play since the start of lockdown, the first half saw an equal battle playing out with neither side getting the upper hand. Both sides had shots at goal but nothing that Mlungwana or Langeveldt were not able to easily handle.

After the break, we started looking better on the ball and played with a bit more confidence but some enterprsing play from Skelem saw him unsettle our defence and manage to get a pass through to Du Preez who took his chance and opened the scoring for the home side.

After Ovidy Karuru was shown his marching orders for Stellenbosh in the 72nd minute, the Stellies boys fell back defensively and made little play out of their own half. Phiri made a good shot on target from range, but this was saved by Langeveldt and Mutizwa had a last minute chance to equalise with a header attempt, also saved by the keeper.

Not the result we were looking for today, but an opportunity to get some match fitness in ahead of Tuesdays game against Bidvest Wits at FNB Stadium.

Our return to the beautiful game after the implementation of the national lockdown happens on Saturday afternoon at 13h30 as we face Stellenbosch FC at Tuks Stadium.

The team has been preparing to continue the fight to retain a Top 8 position for the season, and are looking forward to returing to the field and giving all they have in the 90 minutes.

3 points will be the ultimate objective after sharing the spoils in our last two games played against Orlando Pirates and Highlands FC.

Stellenbosch, looking to lift themselves from 11th position on the log, will be wanting to break their 2 game points drought.

With both teams playing their first game in the BSE, and each not having match fitness, the playing field seems pretty equal.

The game will not be televised, however, we will be keeping you up to date with our play-by-play posts over social media.

A classic match where both teams played a similar kind of football. The match was two teams playing possession football looking to build from the back and would be pressed high, thus opt for route one and build from the midfield. The midfield play was also one where whichever team had the ball, they’d be pressed not to play. The team that regained possession would look to go out of the press via one touch and the least number of players. As they attempted to counter attack, they’d be counter pressed. The match officials had to stay in touch with a high pressing game and high physical exertion without recklessness.

We struggled playing against the wind in the first half but we created the better chances except once from a free kick, where Mlungwana was forced to save a free kick from Pule. We had a slight challenge from our right side where Mako and Memela gave us some headache but our right back and right midfielder sorted it out. We went to half time goalless and the match was very quick, technical and lots of tactical detail both in defense and attack.

We resumed the second but had a great boost and benefit from the wind. We played even better than first half and managed to play through in the midfield, played around the opponent and at times went over the opponent defense. We had a great chance when Phiri put Mutizwa through but the keeper pulled a save. Lamola had another chance like he did in the first half but fluffed it. The best chance of the game was when Parusnath broke through and went one on one with the keeper and was hacked by Nyawuza the defender. A penalty was supposed to have been awarded but the officials decided otherwise. The match ended 0:0. We called a point and made 32 pts at position seven.

Our next match is away in Cape Town to Stellenbosch in two weeks. Our fight to consolidate our top 8 position.

Its close to all systems go for our game against Orlando Pirates tomorrow night at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium.

With kick off set for 18h00, it promises to be an entertaining game between the two sides. Of late, we have preformed well against the Sea Robbers, with only one goal scored in our last three ABSA Premiership encounters.

The coaching staff and players are well prepared for tomorrows game, and have been working on a comprehensive game plan to upset the Soweto team in front of our home crowd.

Again, it will be an important game for us as far as our season objectives are concerned. We are fighting for a top 8 spot in a very competitive log at the moment, and points are vital to obtain.

The Buccaneers are in a log battle too. They could still be in contention for a chase of the title, but a lot depends on securing a win against us.

With 9 points between them an log leaders Kaizer Chiefs, an all out battle can be expected in Clermont as they fight for the slightest chance at the title.

Get your ticket if you have not yet done so. They are available at TicketPro outlets. R40 for Adults, R15 kids U12.

The game will be televised on Supersport, but we encourage you to come watch the action live or follow us on our social media platforms for game updates.

We started the match on a positive note and open the score in the sixth minute when Lamola got to the end of Lunga to make it 1:0. This allowed us to play with less stress and commanded the space and the ball very well though we didn’t create as many chances due to the nature of how the opponent where structured. It was a very physical game and the opponent would always go direct after winning possession. Our defense had to stay switched on to avoid their strikers receiving the long ball. We did not have too many defensive challenges except the long direct balls and the long throw ins. There were too many fouls committed, worsened by rainy conditions as well but both sets of players coped very well. The first half ended 1:0 in our favor with no threat the opponent would overcome our game model.

We didn’t start the second well and we conceded throw ins and corners unnecessarily but survived that spell. We started playing our brand of football though not as fluid as usual. Our midfield lost too much possession and as a result we didn’t create too many chances as well Mathe opponent made a change and brought in Ramagalela and started applying more pressure. In the 64th minute, they got an equalizer from a crosss. A ball that seemed to have gone out of the field as the initial cross was played from their right wing, the ball went over to their left wing who crossed back as well, where the goal got scored by Ramagalela to level matters 1:1. Both teams had started the encounter equal on points and end the encounter equal on points again as both remain in positions seven and eight.

Our next march is against Orlando Pirates the next weekend.

A well played game from both sides today saw the points shared after playing to a 1-1 draw at home this afternoon.

It was a pressurized game for both sides who were looking for full points to bolster positions on the league table.

We started well, and made an early breakthrough as Lamola headed in a cross from Lunga. The boys looked to keep the pressure on Highlands Park and did well to keep pressing and looking for another goal to cement a lead.

Highlands Park were not allowing us any more opportunities and fought hard to try and equalize before the break. Mlungwana did well between the sticks for us once again, and we went into the break with the slightest upper hand.

Coming back, Highlands Park assessed play and decided to introduce Ramagalela to shake things up. This paid off for them as he equalised in the 64th minute.

The teams equaled each other play for play from here on and neither were able to get the upper hand and score.

We will need to prepare for our next game against Orlando Pirates as we look to secure position in the top 8 of the log.

Tomorrow afternoon we have a mid table clash as we play for vital points against Highlands Park at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium.

Both team are sitting with 30 points on the log and will be wanting to secure 3 points in the game and solidify some standing on a very competitive season.

While Highlands Park have played one game more then us, it will put them under slightly more pressure to achieve a win. Should we manage to walk away victors, it would take us up a position on the log, equal in points with Maritzburg United.

Coming off two wins in the ABSA Premiership, the team is confident ahead of the fixture and have been preparing both mentally and on the field for what they know is a crucial match in their season.

The coaching staff are pleased with the preparation that has been put in ahead of the game, as well as the mindset that the players are in. Everyone is on the same page as far as the objectives and goals of the game are concerned.

Highlands Park can be unpredictable on the field, and this is something that needs to be taken into consideration when we face them, and adjust our game plan accordingly.

The game will not be televised, so get to Sugar Ray Xulu and get behind the boys. Should you not be able to attend the game, we will keep you updated on the games proceedings over our social media channels.

A derby played after an embarrassing defeat by VUT in the NEDBANK Cup. The match was meant to be a response match where we needed to redeem ourselves after a poor knockout competition performance. The opponent was fighting for their lives and it showed in the physical nature of the match. We controlled the first half very well and using the whole field in an attempt to find penetration. We played lots of combinations in the middle trying to play through, we would go wide when central options were limited. Each time we overloaded to isolate, we succeeded but only lacked the final penetration by crossing well or playing a cutback. We created a great scoring chance after a great central combination but we were wrongfully ruled offside. The opponent had no answered to our use of the ball and instead opted to kicking our players. We lost Gumede as a result and introduced Lamola. The first half ended 0:0 even though we deserved a lead.

We resumed the second but had a poor start as we saw the opponent hit the cross bar after Dube lost possession in our half. We then picked our game and it wasn’t long and we got our rhythm back again. We had an opportunity to win a penalty when the referee denied Mutizwa a foul after being fouled in the box. In no time, Lamola was fouled in the box on the 67th minute and the referee gave us a penalty and we made it 0:1 via Mutizwa. In the 80th minute Sithebe brought AmaZulu back into the game with the equaliser after firing a low strike into the bottom corner in a scramble inside the box from a corner-kick. Another beautiful passage of play ensured as we played short inter passes in the Centre and unlocked the opponent before Mutizwa got us a winning goal and his second for the night. The match ended 1:2 to us and we collected 3 points and reached the magical 30 points mark with nine matches to play. Our next encounter is Highlands Park at home in two weeks.

Our Nedbank Cup game went to penalties to determine a winner at Dobsonville this afternoon.

After playing a full 90 minutes where we were frustrated by a determined team who played their game in the hopes of going to penalties, they executed their game plan well and came out victorious.

In the first 45 both sides played some decent flowing football and ended up going into the break on an even score.

But the plan for the home side came to light in the second stanza as VUT parked the bus and defended their hearts out to look to force extra time and penalties.

We did manage to score a second goal with 2 minutes of standard time left, but had a lapse in concentration and allowed the host team to equalise just 2 minutes later

Once again, after extra time had been played we were still drawn 2all and it was penalties that would be the decider.

We answered each of the 5 penalties but it was the 6th, taken by Mtshali that missed the target and gave the Vaal team the win for the afternoon

We travel to Dobsonville Stadium this weekend as we kick off our Nedbank Cup campaign against Vaal University of Technology at 15h00 tomorrow.

The coaching staff and team have been preparing well for the game against VUT. While not knowing a great deal about the opposing side, the preparations have taken into consideration that we could come across a squad of players who are hungry to progress to the next round of the competition and could potentially look for that underdog win.

Coach Steve Komphela has put the challenge to the team to go all the way in the Nedbank Cup, knowing that its possible after the form shown in the Telkom Cup competition.

VUT are the only fourth-tier team in the competition, and are looking to make history by beating a PSL team. Stanley Nkoane, coach of the team said “It is 11 players versus 11 and we are not afraid of anything.”

“They can bring whoever they want to‚ we going to compete and not just to play for sake for playing. We know we can win.”

The game will not be televised and therefore will be covered on our social media platforms.

Image courtesy Debiky Images

This match came at the back of a heartbreaking result against KAIZER Chiefs where we lost the match at the very last minute of the match. Similar to KAIZER Chiefs, we put up a great team performance.

Even though we had lost two players in camp due to sickness. We had to replace Venter wit Ndwandwe and Parusnath with Zuke. Both players played a crucial role in the match. Ndwandwe started the match in place of Prusnath and was involved in the build up to the goal that won us the match. Zuke got in later in the match and played a crucial role when he replaced Ndwandwe, who was handling Mbule from SS UTD.

We had good control of the first half. The opponent had no answers to our game plan. We needed just one moment to create a clear chance. We kept good possession and rotated the ball well and only lacked the ability to play over the top because the opponent was narrow and compact with a high line.

We rectified and restructured our attack and beginning second half we created exactly in the same manner we had discussed in the dressing room and we scored to make it 1:0. After we had scored the opponent opted for two strikers in Gabuza and Grobler and we needed to adjust our structure where we took in Shitolo for L. Dube and played 3 Centre backs and dropped Ndwandwe from ten to six to consolidate the midfield and defense.

The opponent tried breaking us down but we defended very resolutely. All we needed was coming out decisively and score the second. We failed to bury the match and had to live anxiously till the end. We won the match 1:0 but great and resolute performance from the team.

We continue our campaign to fight for a top 8 spot tomorrow afternoon as we face SuperSport United at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium. Kick off at 15h30.

We have looked good both on attack and defensively and the boys are looking to continue this as we fight to accumulate points as we get into the final half of the season.

SuperSport are always a formidable team.At the moment they have secured 3 wins from their last five outings and are in their own battle for second spot on the table, sitting just a point behind Mamelodi Sundowns.

They have performed well against the KZN sides, with a draw early in 2020 with Maritzburg United, and then beating AmaZulu 2-0 the week after.

The coaching staff have been working hard at preparing a game strategy to upset SuperSport at home on Saturday.

Tickets are on sale at the stadium, and cost just R40 per adult or R15 for kids u12. Come to the stadium and get behind the green and gold in our ABSA Premiership fight.

We played this match at the back of a good turnaround where we won and draw our previous two encounters against Baroka and Polokwane City respectively. The opponent was in great form and had just drawn their previous encounter. It was indeed a very difficult match and we needed to put up a plan in two days to deal with the powerful attack. Our team responded very well to the challenges and great threats known from the opponent. Our defensive work dealt very well with their crossing game and long diagonal balls played to their attackers who were positioned far out wide and the central threat of their two tens. We Med due adjustments in time and nullified the threat. We tried to avoid too many free kick and corners in and around the box but due to the nature of the game, we conceded a lot of those however we dealt with them very well. We needed more conviction in the final third. The lack of courage did affect our final third entry and consistent penetration. The first half was tight, with far and between chances, as a result no goal was scored.

The second half started well though the opponent looked the better right at the beginning of second. We collected our thoughts and got ourselves back in the game. We kept same structure and good tactical discipline and provided all solutions except that we needed to ask them more questions in our final third. A few opportunities started coming through from both sides but they were not as close or clear to be buried or scored. Mutizwa had a few rare moments where he could have opened the score, once the ball played on his back as he was about to break away, the other was a lame to the keeper who made an easy catch before he could later get a free kick at a good position but also sent it straight into the keeper’s hands. We kept the team unchanged for for almost 85 minutes when we started making a change (Venter in for Parusnath, Sibeko for Mtshali). The match 90 minutes regulation time was over and were in 4 minutes additional time. Two minutes were gone already and the match done and great application displayed, the opponent made a cross from the right, we failed to defend as expected, the keeper pulled a safe, on rebound, the opponent scored 0:1 and we lost the match with the last kick of the ball. Great application and resilience, not too much courage in the final third and lapse of concentration, the match was lost.

Tomorrow afternoon we host Kaizer Chiefs at the Moses Mabhida Stadium. Kick off will be 15h30.

After returning after our game against Polokwane City with just a point, the team has been preparing for this clash against the AmaKhozi.

Coach Steve Komphela and assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi are confident that should the team stick to the game plan set out for the afternoons clash, that a win is more than possible at the end of the 90 minutes.

With a solid attacking strategy being prepared, as well as plans to reduce the possibilities of conceding fouls in the last third, then there is a strong chance of a win.

Sitting comfortably at the top of the log, Kaizer Chiefs will be wanting to extend their points buffer against the second and third placed sides.

Kaizer Chiefs showed that they can be vulnerable after drawing their encounter against Black Leopards last weekend.

Tickets are still available at TicketPro outlets. They are R40 for Adults and R15 for kids U12 years old.

This away match was played after a hard fought 1:0 home win against Baroka where Sfiso Mlungwana played his first match and kept a clean sheet. He had yet another good day in the office against a very forceful Polokwane City who were fighting for their lives to survive relegation. We had a good first half and created a few good chances. We took the lead early in the game, 8th minute after a well orchestrated move we generated from training and Mutizwa finished with a header to make it 0:1. We had good control of the match against a difficult opponent. We had another chance in the 44th minute when Mutizwa put Lamola through and with only the keeper to beat, he shot wide. The first half ended 0:1 in our favor.

We resumed the second with more clarity on how to deal with the opponent midfield shape. We started the second half well and kept probing but not as clear. Lamola was put through again by Mutizwa, with only the keeper to beat, he blasted the ball against the keeper and we failed to make it 0:2. In no time after that miss the opponent pulled one twenty minutes into the second half. Sfiso pulled a great save from a Chauke shot, we failed to clear the lines and Anas finished the rebound to make it 1:1. The match became a battle for a winner but it wasn’t to be. The last chance to win the match fell for us when we got a central free kick and Mutizwa went over the wall, beat the keeper but hit the cross bar. The match ended 1:1.

Our next encounter is at home against Kaizer Chiefs

We face off against Pololwane City tomorrow afternoon in the ABSA Premiership, at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium. Kick off is scheduled for 15:30.

After breaking our winless run last week after a home win to Baroka FC, the team is looking to continue on that and pick up more points away from home against Polokwane City

Fighting for dominance in a very tight mid log battle, we would relish some more points in the effort to obtain a favourable Top8 finish come end of the season.

While the coach and team are confident of the result after 90 minutes they are fully aware of how dangerous a team is when fighting for their lives in the competition.

Also under consideration would be the fact that Polokwane City are currently under the direction of Clinton Larsen, who is familiar with the playing styles of a number of our players.

Larsen, confident that Polokwane City are capable of upsetting us, are looking to fight from a dangerous position at the bottom of the log.

The team is more than capable of winning, and Larsen is confident the results can start coming sooner than later.

The game will be televised on SuperSport Channel 211, and as always covered on our social media channels will be available

A very difficult encounter we faced with the opponent at the bottom of the log and fighting tooth and nail to get out of the bottom of the log. A crucial match for our confidence due to our bad run recently.

There was a very small margin of points between the teams. They played a very physical game, competing for every ball both in the air and on the ground. They played ore direct and we competed very well. The first half was tightly contested and there were very few chances created by both teams except the high number of corners we conceded and the opponent threatened to score by delivering their balls far post.

We were kept in the game by Mlungwana, playing his first PSL match, when he kept out a close range header from a corner kick. The first half ended 0:0. We resumed the second half with good energy and took off where we left off.

We kept fighting their direct play knowing that soon the match will change face. We got a free kick in the opponent half ad from tat free kick, we scored via Shitolo to make it 1:0. We created two to three chances from counter attack situations and we failed to take advantage.

We needed more composure on our counter attacks so that we could terminate them. The victory puts us at 24 points after 17 matches and position 7 on the log. There’s still a lot of work to be done but so far so good.

We will be looking to break our losing run with a home win tomorrow night against Baroka FC. The game kicks off at 19h30 at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium.

The coaches and players have been quick to reflect on the performance against Maritzburg United on Friday night and have worked on game strategies to reduce the possibilities of a repeat performance going forward.

In a season where every point will count going forward, it is going to be crucial to accumulate points at each opportunity. Wednesdays game against a struggling Baroka FC should be one of these opportunities.

Bakgakga have also been struggling of late. They have lost three, and drawn two in their last 5 outings, with their most recent result being a 1-0 loss to Cape Town City.

This has put them in a precaurious position on the log standings and one they will be looking to fight their way out of.

The game will not be televised so get to the Stadium to catch the game. Tickets will be on sale at the stadium on match day, R40 adults and R15 kids U12

Should you not be able to get there, follow us on one of our social network platforms for a play-by-play feed on the game

The first match in the year of 2020 and the first of the second round. It had to be a derby where the opponent ended the first round on a high and lost in the Telkom final against Sundowns.

Their strategy clearly to play on counter attack. Something we prepared very well for and managed without problems. We had been working on our own quick transitions. We scored first through a quick counter attack when Venter finished a brilliant pass from Lamola.

We ended first half leading 1:0 with no threat at all, a good game plan and well executed. The second half resumed but we had a slow start and grew with the match. The game went on till late when we literally surrendered our lead. We conceded two goals in two minutes in the dying minutes.

We did not pickup the opponent tight enough and got punished. The opponent made it 1:1. They further got a lucky goal when we conceded an own goal and they made it 2:1. A difficult defeat to take considering that we had three clear cut chances, two from Mutizwa and one from Venter, when the opponent never had any clear cut chances.

It is so devastating because the matches we lost are ones we never deserved to.

Last minute drama decided the game against Maritzburg United tonight as we ended up losing the 3 points on offer at Harry Gwala Stadium.

While dominating the greater deal of the game and displaying some impressive linking play, we failed to convert the opportunities that were created and sealing the game when we should have,

Opening the scoring in the 38th minute off a quick counter play from N.Gumede, it was Venter who put the ball in the back of the net and putting the home side on the back foot going into the break.

Maritzburg returned to the field, showing determination to pull something back with a change in positional play. They made well thought of substitutions to keep the pressure on the defence and eventually managed to score their equlaiser in the 88th minute.

This seemed to rally them together, and they kept pressure on us in the 5 minutes of extra time. This paid off for them when Jappie crossed to the near post, the ball was played to the middle again and Sibisi looked to clear as Moseamedi was coming up on attack. Unfortunately his attempted clearance played into the top right corner of the goal an sealed our fate for the night.

We have a number of days to regroup before we face Baroka FC at home on the 8th January.

We get the new year underway with a Derby game against Maritzburg United at the Harry Gwala stadium tomorrow night.

After achieving a number of goals in the first half of the season, Coach Komphela has made it clear that the team need to carry on with their positive journey, but will need to up their determination in order to achieve the goals for the second part of the season.

Just 10 points separates positions 2 to 8 on the league table, and Winning the Derby game can keep the club in contention for a Top 4 position.

But The Team of Choice have also kept themselves in contention for a Top 8 spot so far, and have lost just one game in their last 5 while securing points of a win and three draws.

Both sides will be the wanting maximum points at the end of the 90 minutes. A setting for an exciting game of football to kick the second part of the season off.

The game will be televised live on SS4 and we will have our usual play-by-play on our social media channels.

This was the last match for the year 2019 and the last for the first round. The heat was on and the grass dry which affected the rhythm of our game. The opponent was always first on the ball and we were always a second late.

Our midfield press was to loose and we never fought for first ball nor second balls against a very physical team with good work ethic but very limited technical ability except long balls played to Shalulile who proved to be handful to our defenders. The opponent got themselves ahead by snatching a goal from a corner kick when Rae headed unchallenged.

The score was 1:0. We kept trying but our players rook long to listen to a basic instruction where we needed to hold our full backs lower so that we created the space behind opponent wingbacks. As soon as we did that, we created enough opportunities. Makhubela had his chance hit the cross when there was only goalkeeper to beat. Teams went to the break at 1;0. The officials really made our job difficult through their incompetence.

The second half resumed and we looked more dangerous and Sibeko missed an open net and got another two chances but failed to convert. Mutizwa also had two chances, Shitolo, Makhubela had chances as well but we were blunt in front of goal. The opponent were awarded a very dubious penalty and they made it 2:0.

We tried but nothing came through and the match ended 2:0.

Our next encounter, which would mark the start of the second round is on the 3rd January 2020.

We end off the first half of the season tomorrow with an away game to Highlands Park at Makhulong Stadium.

The team is looking to finish the 2019 leg of the season with an away win against the Johannesburg based side, and maintain a positive log position heading into the second half of the season.

Last season, we shared results with The Lions of the North, losing 2-1 to them away and then winning 2-1 in February at home.

After losing our home game against Bidvest Wits, a win is what we are targetting to climb up the log standings again after dropping points.

Highlands Park will be pushing for a win. They have not got maximum points from a game in the last 5, having lost 2 and drawn 3 of their fixtures.

A home win would give their fans some confidence ahead of the second part of the competition in 2020.

The match was played on Thursday due to BIDVEST continental duties. The weather conditions were similar to the Mamelodi Sundowns Telkom cup match where we played good football under rain and won.

We played exactly the same good football under rainy conditions, especially second half. The first half was a cagey affair where we were denied space and we needed to impose ourselves, which we did second half. The least said about the officiating the better.

The opponent was aggressive and we had no protection from officials. The worst was when we conceded a goal from a dubious Mothupa penalty where the goalkeeper was penalized when in fact the tackle was legitimate. We went to half time trailing by a goal to zero.

We had a better second half even though we lost too much possession from our left side with Lunga the main culprit. We dominated the second half completely and had a few clear cut chances to equalize and we failed to score. The biggest chance in the match was when Dube was fouled inside the box and we got a penalty. Mutizwa missed the kick and the opponent survived.

We kept pushing till the last minute of the match but we just could not equalize. The second match we lost under circumstances unexplainable where we dominated completely and created clear chances and ended on the losing side. We had hoped to make 3 points and consolidate our third position on the log but unfortunately we could not and are still no. 4 on the log with 20 points.

Our next encounter to wrap the first round is against Highlands park on the 21st December.

We will start wrapping up the first round of the season with our last home game of 2019 against Bidvest Wits tomorrow night at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium.

Steve Komphela and his boys will be looking to continue with their positive results achieved at home this season so far with a win against The Students.

With the two sides having met 33 times in the PSL, it is The Clever Boys who have dominated the fixture statistically, having claimed 19 wins compared to Lamontville Golden Arrow’s 8. However, with the current home form at Sugar Ray Xulu, Abafana Bes’thende are looking to get a positive result against the odds.

The team is determined to come back from their disappointing loss against Black Leopards in November and maintain a very positive position on the log standings.

The Clever Boys, having played their last League game against Highlands Park, were held to a 1-1 draw against Highlands Park at Makhulong Stadium after a late equaliser by Thabang Monare.

They have not secured a win in four matches in all of the competitions they have played and will be looking to turn their results around in Clermont tomorrow night.

Tickets are available at the stadium for the game, and we would encourage our supporters to come and catch the last home game before the festive season.

The game will be televised live on SuperSport4, and we will cover the game over our social media platforms should you be unable to watch it.

The match was played just two days after the Baroka win. The team had had enough rest and we showed in our overall performance which was fresh. We dominated the match from the first whistle till the last except the period in the second half, where the opponent had a ten minute spell of good play and managed to score two goals in succession. Something we never saw happening based on how we played. The two goals happened in the second when the opponent overloaded our wingbacks. We didn’t respond promptly and we suffered a huge setback. Our compelling moments where we were supposed to win the match was in the first half. We played a good game with fluidity and created good chances but only took one from the penalty. Mutizwa converted to make it 0:1 and kept playing and the opponent had no solutions. Our greatest downfall on the day was lack of a killer instinct to bury the match. We went to half time leading 0:1 and with no real problems encountered except scoring more. This is our third undeserved defeat this season. Something we fail to learn from. When stakes are high, we fail to rise to the occasion. This calls for a stronger mindset, more concentration and focus to team goals than individual goals. We always play better when we are trailing from behind. There seems to be a heightened level of concentration when we chasing the match.

A very tough match away to an opponent, with a good squad but who’s been struggling to get results. This match was played after we lost to MSFC in the semifinals of the Telkom Cup. The level of our moral was at our lowest but we quickly needed to restore it. We had a fairly balanced match with far and few chances. We struggled to find our playing rhythm. We lost too many balls in possession. We couldn’t dominate the match as we used to. Each time we fail to hit our rhythm of play, it affects our confidence. We were threatened several times by the opponent but managed to defend well. We had deployed two strikers and it was clear, it did affect our midfield fluidity. The suspension to Phiri also posed a threat in midfield dominance. We ended the first half 0:0 and we had to resolve and reorganize our attack. We introduced Chonco for Gumede and we looked better. The opponent was threatening during corner kicks and we survived the scare. Deep in the second the referee awarded a penalty against us, through insistence from the first assistant. The opponent missed the chance. We scored in the 84th minute when Venter struck a brilliant in swinging free kick from a wide position. The balls went directly into the net untouched and it was 0:1 with five minutes to go. The opponent also missed a last minute chance as we defended with our lives. We won the match 0:1 and kept our position 3 on the log after 12 matches, having collected 10 points out of twelve. Our next mission is in Thohoyandou against B. Leopards in two days.

On the road again

We continue our time on the road with another away game against Black Leopards tomorrow night at the Thohoyandou Stadium.

Coming off a last minute win in our mid-week game against Baroka FC, the team is looking to continue their collection of points come game time on Saturday.

Some work has been done on both the offensive and defensive aspects of our game after Wednesdays nights game, when we should have converted more of the chances that we created, and slipped a bit on our defensive game.

All that being said, the team is confident of being able to secure a further 3 points on the road come game time.

Black Leopards, currently sitting at 13th on the log have won two of their last 5 encounters, lost 2 and drawn 1. They are hungry for points that would give them a boost to a possible 8th place standing before the festive break.

They will be feeling wounded after their 3-0 loss to Chippa FC earlier in the week and this could make them dangerous at home as they seek some retribution.

Once again, we will not have the game televised but urge you to follow us on our social media channels for updates on the game.

Both the technical team and players will swing their focus back towards the league in securing as many points as possible before the festive break. This will start with an away game to Baroka FC tomorrow night.

Lamontville Golden Arrows have the opportunity to climb up the log from 4th place should the team maintain their positive play and unsettle Baroka at home.

With the League table being very close, with just 5 points separating 2nd and 8th position, every point will count. This is a very important point to take in mind as we head to the break and aim to keep a favourable position on the log.

Baroka can be an unpredictable side, and having won only one of their last 5 games, will be wanting to take advantage of playing at home and giving their supporters a positive result.

The side have managed to secure just 12 points so far, but a win could catapult them up to 6th place on the standings, so they have everything to fight for come tomorrow night.

The game will not be televised, but we will be keeping you up to date on the proceedings over our social media channels.

This was the second match in a row against the opponent after beating them 3:2 In the previous encounter. Clearly the opponent had learned from their previous encounter against us. They pressed us higher and targeted certain players and press target and worked for them.

We could not build with fluidity and still insisted on building with risk. We lost too many balls in our attack and that knocked our confidence to play. We then went on and conceded an early goal when we failed to defend a set play from wide. Kekana jumped the highest and our goalkeeper was caught between and we suffered. The opponent then went on and scored their second deep into first half where we failed to stop their wingback, Morena and the score was 2:0 at half time.

Our second half was completely different. We played the arrows way and gave a great performance. Our turnovers were quicker, our build up play was also fluid and we took control of the match. E scored late in the second half when Sibiya connected with a Mutizwa cross. We kept pressing but pity we could not get an equalizer. We did get behind the opponent and created enough chances to at least draw the match but unfortunately on the day, we had no luck and got knocked out of the Telkom semi final. Our next match is a league match in three days in Polokwane against Baroka and immediate followed by Black Leopards in Thohoyandou on Saturday.

All eyes will be on Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium tomorrow afternoon as we take on Mamelodi Sundowns in the first Telkom Knockout semi final of the weekend.

The game, set to kick off at 3pm, promises to be action packed as we look to defend an unbeaten home streak this season, as well as ending the Brazilians run in the TKO Tournament.

The team is well prepared for the encounter, both physically and mentally. They are confident and determined to take on Masandawana and secure a double win on Saturday.

Mamelodi Sundowns will be looking for revenge after losing at Sugar Ray Stadium just 2 weeks ago. They could be bolstered by the return of some of their previously sidelined players, and this may increase their confidence of having some sort of advantage.

Coach Steve Komphela and his technical team will have taken all of this into consideration in preparing for the cup fixture an will have a plan to counter the possible inclusion of Kekana and Sirino.

Tickets are still available for the game from TicketPro outlets, so make sure to get yours as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. No tickets will be sold at the stadium

The game will be televised on both SuperSport an SABC if you are unable to attend, or follow us on social media for play-by-play coverage.

This match was played after four difficult matches where we played PLK City, SS UTD all twice in a row in Telkom Cup and ABSA Premier League. We’ll be playing MSFC twice as well.

The approach to the match was similar where we defended very well and was courageous enough to impose our offensive play. We had a fairly balanced first half where both teams had to deal with rainy weather conditions. The opponent had an advantage of playing with the rain and wind and we were against. The opponent broke wide from their left and a soft cross was made and we conceded a very soft goal. The score was 0:1 and the first half came to an end. We had a good first half except the mistake that led to the goal.

We started the second half with the wind and the rain. We then opted to press the opponent high up. We dominated the second half. Had a great team performance and scored three goal in the process. The equalizer came in the 60th minute when Phiri took a shot and the goalkeeper fluffed the shot due to wet wether and lack of grip from gloves. Ten minutes later we made it 2:0 when Lunga played a diagonal ball and Mutizwa finished the chance, far post. In the 80th minute we made it 3:1 after a great short interplay leading to the opponent box where Parusnath was fouled inside the box. Mutizwa stepped up and hit the third one to make it 3:1. All looked well and the match was nearing its end, the opponent scored their second from bad defending and lapse in concentration. The score was 3:2 and the match ended with tension and Excitement.

We meeting the same opponent again in our next match on the 23/11/2019 in the Telkom Cup.

After a successful trip away, we return home this weekend to take on Mamelodi Sundowns in an ABSA Premiership game tomorrow

With the team coming off a demanding trip, they will be happy to be facing Masandawana at home on Sunday.

Under the guidance of Steve Komphela, the team is doing well to achieve the goals set out for them regarding point accumulation, and Sundays home game is 3 points that will not want to be missed out on.

Sundowns coach, Pitso Mosimane, has said that they may be under a bit of pressure with injuries with Mahlambi, Sirino and Zwane out due to injury, That being said, they will want a win after their midweek draw to Baroka FC.

Tickets are on sale at Ticketpro and will also be available at the stadium, But please make your purchases before getting to the stadium to avoid disappointment.

The game will be televised live on SuperSport4 (SS4) and as usual, you can follow us for play-by-play updates should you not be able to get to the game.

We played this match just two days after beating the opponent and knocking them out of the Telkom Cup.

It was always going to be difficult to beat an opponent that was wounded. They played 4:3:3 and stuck to their system. We played a much much better game compared to the first one. We kept the ball longer and we defended our areas very well in areas where we preferred the opponent to have the ball, we were successful and there were no real threats.

Our defenders dealt with Gabuza very well. The opponent opted for a very dynamic ITC wing play where they created a wide midfield trio of wingback, the wide striker and box midfielder on both sides, consistently. We managed to deal with them and fifteen minutes to the end of the match, our team showed great hunger and desire to win the match.

We missed three clear cut chances. Venter had two chances, Mutizwa had his near post shot saved and Lunga’s header was stopped at the far post. Our performance on the night was confirmed when the opponent keeper was chosen as man of the match. It was a successful outing to Mbombela as we wrapped it with a draw after we won the TKO match two days ago.

We are on again in preparation against Mamelodi Sundonws in 4 days to complete the third match in eight days.

We are back at Mbombela Stadium and take on SuperSport United in our mid-week ABSA Premiership clash tonight.

Both teams sit on 13 points on the log after 9 games, making the result tonight an important one for the coaches and their teams. There is not a lot separating the top 8 teams at the moment, and losing 3 points could put mid season targets at risk.

We have had a good run of late, and been unlucky not to convert more chances. But the call from Coach Komphela for the players to be more aggressive seems to have rung home and the squad is carrying out the call.

This has given us favourable results, and one that we look to continue in tonight’s clash.

SuperSport will be looking for the win and some redemption from the weekends result. We will need to be aware of this from the first whistle and deal with their attacking play sensibly.

The game will be televised on SS11, with coverage starting from 19h20.

Follow us on our social platforms for game coverage if you are unable to watch the game.

G. ARR V SS UTD
We came to Mbombela knowing that we were going to play a very well-structured team playing a 4:3:3 with discipline and fluidity. Right from the Kickoff the intentions from both teams were clear that they were prepared to fight to go to Semi-finals.

We held our ground and were rewarded as we were awarded a free kick around the box. Mtshali made it 1:0. Something he got accustomed to from training. After we scored, we tried to play but the opponent was clear on pressing us high thus nullifying our free flowing game. We opted to go direct and our game was not as fluid as a result. The opponent kept playing crosses using their wingbacks and occasionally penetrating through the Centre using Mbule and Mokoena. We opted to close the Centre and rather deal with crosses and Gabuza. We resolved to suffer to win the match. We ended the first half 0:1 and went to the dressing to reorganize ourselves.

The second half was going to be very difficult and indeed we spent the better half defending. Nothing wrong with defending, our only problem was our lack of not connecting with attackers after regaining possession. We could have defended higher but we were too deep and possibilities are we were going to make mistakes. We conceded a penalty deep in referee’s optional time but the opponent missed.

We won the quarter final match 0:1 to advance to the semis.

It was bound to be a very difficult match after knocking them out of the TELKOM Cup. We had a very good start and scored first in the second minute when Mutizwa headed a MTSHALI free kick. The score was 1:0 and it helped us a lot. We continued playing our way even under pressure.

The opponent strategy was to press us high so that we do not get the rhythm to play. All we needed to do more often was to play beyond the line of press into the midfield and start playing from there. In a few moments where we bypassed the first line of press we looked dangerous and we could manage to create more opportunities.

There were moments where we risked possession especially from our left side but we managed to control and survived the threat. We created more chances and our problem was finishing. Mutizwa was the main culprit where he squandered two great chances. We went to the dressing 1:0.

We started the second half well but the opponent kept piling pressure and we lost a bit of confidence. As they were to make a double sub we conceded a goal through the Centre when we didn’t press the ball in the Centre. The score was 1:1. The opponent made their changes and opted for three man defence. We were under pressure for the better part of the second half but we resisted well.

The match got even more physical as both teams were looking to break away and win. Our mental strength showed when we forced the opponent to concede a free kick. Phiri line up the free kick, took a shot, the ball rebounded from the keeper and Makhubela made it 2:1 right at the end. That was to be the last kick of the match and we won the match.

We are up against Polokwane City once again this weekend, but it’s a league game this time.

They return to the Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium tomorrow afternoon. Kick-off will be 15h30.

It will be an important 3 points to secure, as we sit 7th on the log presently, but a game ahead of 4 of the other sides. So, to be able to maintain the position, the side are going to have to play a solid 90 minutes for the win.

Coach Steve Komphela has set objectives for every 5 league games with an objective of achieving a certain number of points. A home win would go a long way in achieving this and the team will be well prepared for the game plan for the weekend.

Sitting 3 positions above us, at 4th, Polokwane City will also be wanting a favourable result from the game. They have lost their last two outings in the ABSA Premiership which have both been away games.

Breaking this would prove to be a positive turn in their mind set, and the team will be playing for the points on offer.

The game will not be televised, so get down to the stadium to catch the action. Tickets will be on sale at the gate at R40 for adults and R15 for children under 12.

We will be posting regular updates on the games progression over our social media platforms as well, so follow us if you are unable to watch it live.

This was our first knockout competition for this match. It showed in the temperament of the match where there was a great physical contest that lasted 120 minutes. We played a good game all round and dominated the game comfortably.

We created numerous chances as always but our biggest challenge is converting the chances. Most of our offensive patterns were clear and prevalent in the match. Our build attack continued to appear structured. Our midfield linked well both in defending and joining attack at the right time. Our final third entries both wide and central were very clear and strong but the finishing was poor. There were countless chances throughout the 120 minutes.

Our biggest threat from the opponent was their direct approach where Chigova the goalkeeper was aiming for Anas the striker and they looked to play through second balls. We managed their approach very well. There were no goals until end of 90 minutes. We got our goal and only goal of the match in the extra time.

A hard fought victory and qualification to the next round of the tournament. We’ll be meeting the same opponent again in our next league fixture in seven days. Another physical battle looming but this time over three points.

G. ARR (1) et vs PLK CITY (0)

We get our 2019 Telkom knockout campaign underway tomorrow as we take on Polokwane City at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium.

Kick off, scheduled for 3pm, promises 90 minutes of action packed play as we take on the visitors from Polokwane in this seasons knockout competition.

The team is confident with the home fixture, and have had some time off to prepare well for the game. The squad have played a consistent game over their past three PSL fixtures, and are looking for an elusive win.

The Cup competition allows for a bit of a change in their game, an Saturday is an opportunity to give their all in the hunt for some silverware.

With the next PSL fixture again being against Rise and Shine, both teams will be looking to play a different game plan from normal, and this in itself should be grounds for an action packed game.

Polokwane City will be looking to secure a win and advance in the competition too. They have had mixed results in their last few games, and an opportunity to push forward in the Cup competition would be welcomed.

They can be unpredictable at times, and a change in their normal play could be on the cards as they look to unsettle us.

The game will be televised on SuperSport10 (SS10) and we will provide a play-by-play during the game, but we would like to call on our home support to get to the stadium and get behind the side.

We have dropped 3 points this evening at FNB Stadium against Kaizer Chiefs.

In what looked to be an equal footed game in the first 10 minutes, we gave the hosts their first opportunity to score as Billiat dragged a shot wide from the right.

The Glamour Boys were then awarded a penalty as Billiat took a shot into the box. Dube, defending, had an arm out and the referee blew against him awarding the hosts an opportunity to take the lead.

Cardoso stepped to the spot and put the home side into the lead.

We had a number of well executed attacking plays. Lunga, Sibeko and Mutizwa did well linking up on attack but the chances we created were just not good enough to create the gaps to score before the break.

Coming back onto the pitch in the second 45, we once again countered well against a confident home side. we created better chances to score but it was Chiefs who were gifted their second goal after Sibisi scored an own goal in the 60th minute.

The boys fought back hard, and did create a number of good chances, however it was just not to be our night. Mutizwa had a good chance to pull one back, but put the sitter over the bar.

The team have a couple of weeks to pull together and work on the part of the game where we are lacking before we face Polokwane City at home on the 26th October.

We knew it was going to be a tricky match. It needed a sober mind and clear thinking. We started very well and scored two goals on transition from Mutizwa to make it 2:0.

The opponent tried to sit in a block but we managed to unlock them by playing over the top using our speed in attack. There was little problems in the first half and went to half time leading 2:0, playing a good possession and pressing game.

The second half started and we still kept our structure. The opponent introduced another striker with aerial prowess and we decided to add a central defender. It was at that moment of switch when we lost concentration and conceded the first goal to be 2:1.

We could not settle and a long diagonal ball in the center of the defense was missed by the keeper and the striker (Moon) scored their second goal to make it 2:2.

We had committed two basic errors and surrendered our lead. We then changed and played 3:3:4 to chase the game. We played our usual possession and attacking football, created a few more chances but lacked the killer instinct.

We drew the match 2:2 and dropped 2 valuable points. One of the key areas to improve with our team is a better mindset and also attitude of remaining respectful throughout the match till we win.

Our next assignment is in two days against KAIZER Chiefs in Johannesburg on Tuesday.

It was a game of two halves this afternoon at Sugar Ray Xulu stadium as we played to a draw with Stellenbosch FC.

Coming into the game and playing a strong attacking game in the first half,we kept the visitors on the back foot.

This saw Mutizwa getting his brace off two similar goals after being played into position off long balls. This forced Dr Jong off his line in defence and opened up his goals, allowing us to take full advantage of the situation.

Going into the break 2 goals up looked promising for us. This however was not the case in the second half.

Stellenbosch FC came out of the break looking fired up. They attacked from kick off and were not allowing us time on the ball.

Their attacking play payed off in the 60th minute with their first goal and then the equaliser just 3 minutes later.

We pulled together and attacked more in the last 15 minutes, creating chances, but just not being given space to capitalise on them.

Not the result we were hoping for as we head off to play Kaizer Chiefs on Tuesday, however still a point to add to the seasons tally.

We host newcomers Stellenbosch FC at the Sugar Ray Xulu tomorrow afternoon in our weekends ABSA Premiership game.

With having had positive results at home so far, we will be looking at collect 3 points against Stellenbosh.

While the visitors have yet to secure a victory this season, no assumptions can be made that they will be an easy defeat come 3pm kick off.

Our attacking play has seen us come back from some close defeats, and should we continue this style of play, could see us with a decent goal haul.

Stellenbosch have played some close encounters this season. They have drawn against Chippa United, Maritzburg United and most recently Black Leopards, while losing narrowly to Cape Town City. Their two biggest defeats have come against Bidvest Wits and Bloemfontein Celtic.

The game will be televised on SS10 and covered on our social media channels. We would however like to have our supporters in the stands to get behind the team for the game.

A very difficult match to a CTC team that always wants to play from the back with lots of capable technical players. Their profile of is not far from our profile. Both teams showed lots of similarities. The glaring one was the high pressing game where the team in possession lost the ball and immediately applied pressure to stop possible counter attacks. We were more aggressive in our pressing game. We pressed till the last minute. A sign that our team is well conditioned.

In moments where we needed to play, we played good attacking football. We finished the first half with no problems except composure in our finishing. We also lacked the ability to counter efficiency where possible and we were too forgiving when we had a good opportunity to counter. We ended the first half 0:0.

The second half started very well and we had two great opportunities the first five minutes but failed to score. The opponent had a rare opportunity when a cross got delivered in the box and Erasmus converted to make 1:0. We kept playing our way without panic and looked convincing.

We made changes to effect the game, Venter for Sibiya, Sibeko for Lamola and Mutizwa for Gumede. We managed to pull an equalizer when Sibeko pulled wide on the left and left defenders behind, only to be fouled inside the box for penalty. Mutizwa made it 1:1.

The team showed great mental fortitude, good physical condition.

We played good football and created enough chances to win the match but wasn’t to be.

We travel to Cape Town this weekend to face Cape Town City in our 6th ABSA premiership League game of the season. Kick off is on Sunday afternoon at 15h00.

Head Coach, Steve Komphela will be keen to secure points away from home and maintain a positive point haul. His first objective for the season was to secure 10 points from the first 5 games, and while not pleased about coming up short, has set the same objectives for the next five games.

This will bolster a solid foundation to work from while keeping the club in contention for a Top 8 finish come the end of the season.

Cape Town City, under the guidance of Benni McCarthy, will be wanting to secure home points. They currently sit just 10th on the log and have secured just a single win so far this season. The remainder of their points come from 3 draws.

The Citizens will be wanting to take advantage of their home advantage, and will not be serving points on a platter come Sunday afternoon.

The game will be televised on SS4 and we will be posting on the game on our social media channels.

The match, a derby as it was had all the ingredients of it. Due to the international break, Lunga and Mutizwa were rested and Lamola and Nkombelo got the start. We had good control of the first half. We dominated play and created the most chances. Most of the entries were from our right and all we needed was a good final pass and and clinical finishing. Our build up play was cohesive and were solid in defense. We took the lead in the 36th minute through a Sibiya penalty after Lamola was fouled from entry from the right. The score was 1:0. We were comfortable in all departments and proceedings till end of first half. We could have increased the lead to 2:0 but Lamola lacked composure to finish.

The second half was not as comfortable as the first even though there was more energy and physical exertion to die the Amazulu change of game plan. There were more explosive actions and fact that we were not in good control the opponent got a penalty in the 58th minute. The score was 1:1. Both teams were clearly eager to play for a result but unfortunately it wasn’t to be. We had a few chances in the second half as well but we wasted them. Phiri had a great strike at goal and the keeper was alert to concede a corner.

The match ended 1:1. We had a target of ten points out of five matches. We short of two points and are starting another group of five where we need ten. Our next opponent is Cape Town City in Cape Town.

We shared the spoils with AmaZulu in this afternoons Durban Derby at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium.

In what was a game of two halves, we dominated the first 45 minutes, keeping our opponents on the back foot and pressing up on the wings to get attacking ball into the last third.

This game plan worked well, with Sibiya and S.Dube pushing up well and feeding some clean balls to the box. We were unfortunate on a number of occasions not to benefit from the play.

It was off one of these attacking moves that Lamola was bought down in the box, and the referee awarded a penalty to us.

Sibiya converted the opportunity to give a lead heading into the break.

The second half of the game was dominated by AmaZulu who seemed to be determined to claw back the lead from us. They managed to retain a lot of ball and made a number of attacking plays.

We too defended a little to hard, and conceded a penalty as Ntuli was taken down in the box.

He made no mistake in converting and equaled the score with just 15 minutes of play left.

With neither teams managing to convert chances created in the last quarter of the game, we had to be content with a draw and a point from the afternoons action.

The team will return to training in preparation for our away game against Cape Town City next Sunday being their top priority.

We were playing a good opponent who unfortunately had not been getting results even though playing good fast paced football. We needed to deny them the space in wide areas and also control their two holding midfielders. Our defensive structure was very solid and only needed us to connect well after regaining possession. We had a good chance to take the lead when Sibisi missed a header. The opponent had very little chance to get behind our defense. Our midfield worked extremely hard to protect the defence and we went to half time at 0:0.

The second continued in the same way except more clarity given at half time regarding the second layer of attack positioning. We also didn’t take full advantage of the free kicks we got. We had yet another opportunity to take the lead when we successfully came out and Phiri crosses for Sibiya who wasted the opportunity to finish a swift counter attacking move. A few changes that were made were purely to freshen the team because structurally, we looked very good throughout the match. At the end the match was drawn 0:0 even though we had the better chances. Our next opponent is Amazulu in 14 days.

We head to Orlando Stadium tomorrow night for our last fixture of the month as we take on Orlando Pirates at 19h30.

After a confidence boost with the win on Saturday against Chippa United, the team are looking forward to facing off in their mid-week game in Soweto.

The performance over the weekend was a turn around both defensively and on attack from the second round of the competition and should the boys keep up the level of game, they have a great chance of returning home with another three points.

Orlando Pirates will want to secure the home win. They have secured just four points from the first three games of the season.

The Buccaneers started the season with a win against Bloem Celtic but have since lost to Highlands Park, and in their last outing drew with AmaZulu at King Zwelithini Stadium.

The game should be an interesting one to watch, and support will be welcomed at Orlando Stadium.

We will be doing a play-by-play on the game, so follow us on social media for updates on the game. The game will also be live on SuperSport 4 (channel 204)

We played this match under difficult circumstances after the 5:0 away accidental loss to Celtic. We had ten days to work on the players moral and confidence. We also paid more attention to our defensive organization and it showed in the Chippa match.

We tried different central pairings at the back and we settled for Mathiane and Sibisi. We defended the opponent very well and scored the opening goal via Sibiya after a good combination with Makhubela. The score was 1:0. Even though we didn’t start as good as we wished. After the goal, we grew in confidence and finished the first half very strong.

In the dressing room we declared that the worse result in the second half should be to draw the half but our desire was to win it as well. The opponent started by bringing in two wide players and pushed us deeper into our half. We adapted quickly and regained our superiority.

As we were in ascendency with seven minutes to go, the opponent were awarded a dubious penalty and equalized from there. After the opponent goal, we had a chance when Mutizwa went one on one with the goalkeeper but missed. Within a minute, a second chance was created when Sabelo crosses from the left and Mutizwa headed the ball goal bound but hit the upright, quickly reacted to finish the chance and made it 2:1.

The opponent had no chance to bounce back and we won the match 2:1. This was our second win at home. A confidence boost after the CELTICS disaster.

We preparing to face a wounded Orlando Pirates away at Orlando Stadium in four days.

We get our weekend underway tomorrow afternoon with our third ABSA Premiership game against Chippa United. Kick off at 3pm, Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium.

After a break in the league games for the MTN8, we have had some time to pull together and work on our game plan for tomorrows fixture.

The technical staff and players have been working closely together as they look to bounce back in the 2019/20 campaign.

We will be looking for 3 points at home and to add to the foundation of the campaign.

Chippa United will be looking to secure their first win of the season after playing to two draws so far this season.

Clinton Larsen has been reported to be expecting ‘his players to fight for every inch’ on the field, and is not expecting the game to be an easy one.

The game should be an action packed encounter, so get to the stadium to experience it live.

Tickets will be available at the stadium at R40 for adults and R15 for kids under 12. Gates open at 12:00

The Diski team take on SuperSport United at home on Sunday 25 August in the third game of the Multichoice Diski Challenge.

The team has grown in confidence since kicking off their season and after losing to Kaizer Chiefs in their first outing, did well to fight back against Bloem Celtic last weekend, but eventually losing 3-1 after equalising.

The home game could give the side the added confidence they need as they look for their first win for the season.

SuperSport United have not yet lost a game, and will be looking to continue on their positive road on Sunday.

In their first game they did well against Maritzburg United, with a convincing win at Harry Gwala Stadium. Their second encounter saw them draw against Stellenbosch FC.

Entry to the game is free, so get to the stadium and come and watch the youngsters in action at Sugar Ray Stadium at 12pm on Sunday.

The Diski team take to the field again on Sunday with an away game against Bloem Celtic at Dr Molemela Stadium.

After having a shaky start to the season last weekend against Kaizer Chiefs, the team has been working on a number of different aspects to improve their game ahead of Sundays encounter.

It was a pressurised baptism into the folds of professional football for the youngsters, and one compacted by the fact that it was a Festival that they played their first game.

This weekends game will be a more intimate affair and should be better handled when it comes to nerves.

Bloemfontein Celtic will also be looking for their first win of the season after losing 3-0 in their opening game. Having home advantage could give them an upper hand but our players and technical team will hopefully have prepared for this in their game plan.

We look forward to a positive result and wish the youngsters well in the weekends game.

One of the most difficult and embarrassing matches to understand because of the outcome. The team performed very well creating numerous opportunities only to be denied by the goalkeeper.

We had the worst start, almost similar to Sundowns last season in Pretoria. We concede a goal in 45” after start of the match, when Dube played the ball behind our midfield in build attack and the opponent went straight to our goals and Mabena scored to make it 1:0.

The second goal was yet another mistake where we failed to guard the near post and were punished to a 2:0. We then took a decision to make a sub and chase the game. Indeed after the replacement of S.Dube by Mutizwa, another striker we immediately got three clear cut opportunities from Venter, the deflected shot, keeper made a brilliant save.

Mutizwa had two one on ones with the keeper. Yet again the keeper made great saves. A game of football is cruel. You miss your chances, the opponent is ruthless, you pay the price. We did in this match. All the goals we conceded were pure elementary defensive errors and we failed to convert our own clear cut chances.

We had better chances than the opponent but the opponent took their half chances and we failed. The errors were the same even in goal four and five.

The center of our defense made the worse error in the fourth and fifth we could not deal with defending the far post. We played a great game but committed cardinal mistake and the opponent on the day was precise while their goalkeeper had a man of the match performance.

The biggest challenge is to learn from this result and work on the players’ confidence and moral. Our next match is CHIPPA Utd at home.

We did not have the desired start to the Multichoice Diski season this afternoon with a 4-1 loss to Kaizer Chiefs at King Zwelithini Stadium.

The game plan for us was to try and retain possession and put pressure on the visitors. Kaizer Chiefs game plan countered this from the beginning as they pushed the ball long and high over our defence, creating gaps and chances to score.

We managed to open the scoring however in the 38th minute after a failed header from Dube was lobbed back into the box and Nala headered the ball into the back of the net.

Amakhosi responded just two minutes later as Milazi nudged the ball into the back of the net. Team mate Hoala then scored from the opposite side only three minutes after that to go into the break a goal ahead.

Returning after the break, we tried to change our method of attack, but could just not get into a position to cause any major threat. Nala almost had a second chance to score and Dube pushed into the box behind the Chiefs defence, but was closed down quickly.

The game was over for us after Milazi got his brace and then Bunting converted a penalty in the 65th minute. The inexperienced players were just not able to turn the game around from this.

There is a lot to build on from the game, and the technical staff have a bit of work to do ahead of next weekends game against Bloem Celtic next weekend at Dr. Molemela Stadium