Cape Town City’s hopes of a return to the top-flight have been left in tatters after a frustrating 1-1 draw against Magesi FC on Wednesday, condemning the club to at least another season in the Motsepe Foundation Championship.
The highly anticipated PSL Promotion/Relegation Playoffs encounter between the Citizens and Dikwena Tsa Meetse took place at the Athlone Stadium in Cape Town. on Wednesday afternoon.
The Cape club came into this crucial match facing a mammoth task, needing a victory of at least a 3-0 scoreline. Furthermore, they had to rely on Magesi defeating Milford FC in the final game of the playoffs to stand any chance of promotion.
Therlo Moosa broke the deadlock for Cape Town City in the 43rd minute of the showpiece, but Mcedi Vandala found an equaliser in the second half [49th minute] to deny the home side a win.
The Citizens failed to make home-ground advantage count, ultimately settling for a 1-1 stalemate against the Limpopo-based outfit on their own turf.
With this result, Cape Town City have officially finished third in the mini-log standings of the PSL Promotion/Relegation Playoffs, accumulating just four points from their four matches.
It is a disappointing end to a campaign that showed plenty of promise. The Citizens had booked their spot in the promotional playoffs after an impressive campaign in the Motsepe Foundation Championship, where they finished as runners-up with 54 points from 30 outings.
THE PROMOTION RACE: MILFORD FC VS MAGESI FC
With Cape Town City officially out of the running, the battle for the final spot in the South African top-flight has turned into a two-horse race. The final destination of the Betway Premiership status will be decided over the weekend in a winner-takes-all clash.
Milford FC are scheduled to lock horns with Magesi FC at the Seshego Stadium on Saturday, 13 June.
The high-stakes encounter will determine whether the KwaZulu-Natal side will secure historic promotion to the elite league, or if the Allan Freese-coached Magesi will successfully retain their Betway Premiership status.
As things stand, Milford occupy the summit of the mini-log with six points, while Magesi sit in second place with four points, setting up a thrilling finale on Saturday.
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