As the halfway point of the Motsepe Foundation Championship draws near, clubs at the top are vying for promotion while those at the bottom struggle mightily to escape the danger zone.
One such team battling to find its feet is Cape Town City, which is still struggling to adapt to the demands of the National First Division (NFD).
The John Comitis-owned side was relegated from the Betway Premiership at the end of last season, and life in the second tier has been anything but smooth.
On Wednesday, City will face yet another tough assignment when they host Lerumo Lions at Athlone Stadium. The match begins at 3.30pm.
The visitors are equally desperate for maximum points as they aim to close the gap on the leading pack.
Lerumo, currently ranked seventh on the log with 17 points, has a game in hand over the top-ranked Milford FC, who are leading with 24 points.
A win for Lerumo will see them jump to fourth place, reducing the gap between themselves and the summit to just four points and tightening an already fiercely competitive race.
Struggling to turn the corner
At the start of the campaign, City’s head coach, Jan Vreman, was bullish about the club’s prospects, confidently stating that his team will have no trouble competing in the NFD and securing a swift return to top-flight football.
Vreman said: “We have quality players, and we will do everything to get the club back to the elite league.
“We want to play attractive football that wins us games and earns the respect of fans and everyone who watches us.”
However, the Dutch mentor—who arrived in South Africa after spending 20 years coaching De Graafschap in the Netherlands—has struggled to turn his optimism into results.
City have managed just three wins from 13 league matches, with four draws and four defeats, leaving them in 11th place on the log with 13 points.
They sit only five points above bottom-placed Baroka FC.
