Durban — Cape Town City may have been a dark horse for the majority of the season, but their resolve and resistance saw them secure a respectable fourth place in the DStv Premiership.
Not many followers would have put their money on the Citizens coming anywhere near their previous season heights after the first five games of this campaign.
City opened their season with three consecutive defeats to Mamelodi Sundowns, Swallows FC, and AmaZulu before back-to-back draws against Maritzburg United and Stellenbosch FC.
Their record in those matches saw them bottom of the league standings, raising questions as to whether they had done the right business in the transfer market and also putting into consideration their participation in the CAF Champions League qualifiers.
Coach Eric Tinkler had to somehow find solutions to the abrupt departure of his No 1 goalkeeper Hugo Marques, who scooped up the Goalkeeper of the Season award last year.
Tinkler was also forced to tinker with his defensive unit that had kept 14 clean sheets the previous season, with the departure of Terrence Mashego to Sundowns and the towering figure of Nathan Fasika stuck in the DRC.
The experienced coach expressed his disappointment at not being able to match the previous season’s heights, where they finished second, but pointed to his team’s slow start as the main reason.
“Our season didn't start the way it should have for a few reasons. Normally, a good pre-season (helps) because I’ve been successful when we've had a good pre-season,” Tinkler said
“We lost Terrence and Taariq Fielies to injury with Bafana Bafana, we lost Fasika who couldn’t get back into the country because of passport issues and we didn’t have Thami Mkhize available as well. Went into the first game without my back four that kept 14 clean sheets.
“We ended up losing the first three games and that changes the mindset, that makes it a pressure situation and the pressure isn't just on the coach, it filters down to the players and that makes it even more difficult.
“At the end of the season, you look at games and think maybe you could have grabbed three points here or a point there.”
Tinkler’s players came to life in the final stages of the campaign as they won six, drew four and lost just one of their last 11 matches of the season, including a win over Kaizer Chiefs that saw them leapfrog them on the final day.
IOL Sport