Durban City's Siphamandla Zikhali dribbles with the ball during their Betway Premiership match against AmaZulu.
Durban City brilliantly capped off their debut top-flight season with a coveted Top 8 finish after getting a massive slice of luck on Saturday — despite suffering a narrow 1–0 defeat to AmaZulu in their final league match of the campaign at the Chatsworth Stadium.
Stellenbosch United completely failed to seize their late-season gift, which had arrived as a direct result of a recent, exhausting slump on the part of Durban. A daunting nine games without a victory is how Durban ultimately concluded their domestic season, but they were incredibly fortunate that the chasing competition were simply not in the mood for snatching up final-day presents.
As a direct result of their season-long consistency, Durban City remarkably get to compete in the Nedbank Cup, the MTN8, and the prestigious CAF Confederation Cup next season. It represents a massive, highly demanding ask for a brand-new franchise — but the club's hierarchy seem entirely up for the challenge.
Head coach Pitso Dladla had a distinct glint of pride in his eye after the final whistle — even though his evolving team had just endured another difficult local derby result. Dladla firmly believes that the business end of the season — particularly as they successfully approached the semi-finals of the Nedbank Cup — became exceptionally difficult to manage in terms of acute player fatigue.
