The opening match of Betway Premiership Promotion/Relegation Play-Offs got off to a poor start with Orbit College FC and Casric Stars playing to a dull goalless draw on Wednesday, June 11.
Fans who braved the chilly weather to watch the match in Rustenburg’s Olympia stadium were treated to a boring game as both clubs failed to produce the much anticipated oomph and the hunger for the much-needed three points at stake in this mini league play-offs.
Province not in the elite league
Currently the province of North West has no representative in the elite league since the demise of Platinum Stars. The latter closed shop in 2018 after their relegation to the National First Division.
It was later renamed Ikapa Sportings after its status was sold to some businessmen in Cape Town. Fans are relying on Orbit to win these play-offs in order to bring back the golden diski days in the platinum province.
Both Casric and Orbit earned their tickets to these play-offs after they finished their league season on the second and third positions respectively. And they will be facing a tough challenge in Cape Town City, who are part of the competition after the Cape side finished their season on the 15th position in the Betway Premiership.
Said Orbit coach Pogiso Makhoye after the match: “I am disappointed that we did not win the match at home. But I am not worried about the boys’ performance because we gave them the freedom to play their game without any pressure. We are looking forward to our next match in which we need to improve our performance in order to start collecting points.”
Casric coach unfazed
On the other hand, Casric coach Joseph Mthombeni also expressed his excitement about the results.
“I am happy we didn’t lose the match nor concede any goals. That is important for us. And our next move is to go back home and work on scoring goals as we prepare for our second match,” he said.
The next match will see Cape Town City welcoming Casric on Saturday, June 14.
