There’s a renewed sense of expectation around football in the Mother City.
Not only are there three teams in the DStv Premiership for the first time in years, but Cape Town City FC and Stellenbosch FC are already showing early signs that they will not be taking a backward step to any of their opponents from up north.
City have certainly put their lacklustre starts of the previous two seasons to pasture with a second consecutive victory on Wednesday afternoon at the Dobsonville Stadium.
Eric Tinkler’s men have followed up their last-minute win over Polokwane City in the opening game of the season with another hard-earned 1-0 victory over Moroka Swallows.
It was just revenge after City went down 3-2 in the corresponding fixture last season that formed part of a sequence of results that saw the Citizens struggle to get out of the starting blocks.
But with youngster Taahir Goedeman in sparkling form in the midfield, and now adding the goals his coach has been asking for after tapping in from close range on Wednesday, the pieces are starting to come together.
Equally, City’s makeshift defence that are currently without stalwart Taariq Fielies at the heart are performing superbly at the moment in keeping a second consecutive clean sheet.
Tinkler emphasised at the beginning of the season for his charges to be more stingy at the back and the defence along with goalkeeper Darren Keet have responded positively.
Keet certainly played his part with a couple of fine double-handed saves in both halves, with his superb stop off a rasping free kick from Gabadinho Mhango particularly impressive that helped keep the home side at bay.
Veteran defender Thato Mokeke also made an invaluable clearance off the line when a Tshegofatso Mabasa header looked well set to be the equaliser.
There were precious few clear cut chances throughout the match, although the ever impressive Khanyisa Mayo saw his first half glancing header drift just wide of the left post, while City’s Colombian forward Juan Zampata almost embarrassed Swallows keeper Daniel Akpeyi with a deft chip after a mistake by the former Kaizer Chiefs stopper.
“It wasn’t easy. We had to grind. It was a team effort. We knew we came up against a team that wanted to build from the back and we wanted to press them high,” Mayo said, who ran hard all afternoon and terrorised the Swallows defence with his extra pace.
“As a striker you have to make those runs. That’s how you create those half chances that gets you the goals. The coach told us in the second half to come back and be more positive to go and get the goal and we managed to get the goal. We go home with three points.”
Swallows coach Steve Komphela, meanwhile, bemoaned his team’s lack of killer instinct but praised Keet in the City goal.
“It was a bit frustrating, you play well, and then you commit a silly error. These are things that we speak about,” Komphela said with his team yet to win a match after the opening two rounds.
“We cannot allow that at this level. Generally, one is pleased that the response is there, and it may take a bit of time but in football you don’t have time to get things clicking.
“After the goal we started taking more initiative, gaining ground, more box entries, and the only thing we needed was a bit of luck, but I thought Darren Keet kept very well too and there was a save on the line.”
City will now shift their focus to the almighty MTN8 quarter-final clash at home against Kaizer Chiefs on Saturday full of confidence.
IOL Sport