Stellenbosch FC keep top-three hopes alive

Stellenbosch FC dug deep to keep out SuperSport United’s charge as they beat them 2-1 at the Danie Craven Stadium on Saturday.

The result means that Stellies are perfectly placed to retain their third place, with just one round of fixtures left to be played.

Steve Barker would have been pleased with how his side reacted to the heavy schedule, as they kicked off their 50th game of the season in fine fashion.

An early lead came in the 15th minute after clever play by Devin Titus, who found Sanele Barns with a cut-back pass to open the scoring.

SuperSport United, fresh from an encouraging 2-0 win against Chippa United in their last match, suffered another blow to their relegation fight when Stellies doubled their lead.

This time, from provider to scorer, Titus made a clever run behind the defence and coolly nutmegged Ricardo Goss to make it 2-0 in the 27th minute.

Matsatsantsa had a golden chance to pull one back before the halftime break. Lyle Lakay delivered a pinpoint cross into the box, and Bradley Grobler timed his run and header to perfection.

However, Oscarine Masuluke was equal to the task, and produced an important save to preserve their two-goal lead.

The start of the second half would have been encouraging for Andre Arendse and his charges, as they found a new lease on life and were immediately on the board within five minutes of the restart.

Stellies didn’t learn from their mistake in the first half, as they again afforded Grobler too much space and time. This time, they were punished. 

His powerful header was saved by Masuluke, but the ball was parried back into the danger area.

Unfortunately for Stellies, Titus was on hand again, though this time it was at the wrong end as he turned the ball into his own net.

Matsatsantsa had a spring in their step, and they could sense the second was around the corner.

Christian Saile played in Moralo, who had another opportunity, and with just the keeper to beat, his shot was straight at Masuluke.

So, SuperSport missed out on what would have been a valuable point from the contest as they remain 15th on the log, but with two matches in hand.

Elsewhere, Cape Town City broke their 13-match winless run with a 2-0 win against Polokwane City at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday.

The result, secured by goals from Jaeden Rhodes and Darwin Gonzalez, moves City level on 26 points with Matsatsantsa, with their final fixture of the season against neighbours Stellies to come.

The Cape side have had a season to forget, and coming up against a Polokwane City outfit that have also had their fair share of troubles in the second half of the campaign, a place in the top eight was up for grabs for the home side.

The home side switched off following a break in play and failed to deal with a long ball from Thamsanqa Mkhize, which was cleverly guided by Amadou Soukouna into the path of the quick Gonzalez.

The visitors were handed a golden opportunity and a potential twist to their season when Gonzalez was fouled inside the box.

He stepped up and finished with class to give City the all-important lead in the 15th minute.

Phuti Mohafe would have expected a better showing from his side in the second half, but instead, it was City who blew their grip on the relegation fight.

A well-taken cross from Aprocius Petrus found Rhodes, who expertly finished with a header in the 50th minute to hand the Cape side a much-needed win, which sees them keep their hopes of staying up alive.