Johannesburg - The DStv Premiership reached its conclusion on Saturday as all 16 clubs reaped the rewards of their exploits, in what has been the most bizarre season in recent history.
With Mamelodi Sundowns already crowned champions seven matches ago, the race for a CAF Champions League spot and attempts to avoid relegation went down to the wire for other clubs.
However, the Cape contingent arguably headed into the last set of fixtures with the lowest weight on their shoulders as Cape Town City battled Kaizer Chiefs to see who would finish fourth, a dead rubber considering the ambitions of these two clubs.
The Cityzens showed great determination and guile to play an entire 45 minutes a man down and escaped with a slim victory over Amakhosi at the FNB Stadium, a result that saw them leapfrog their opponents into fourth.
Stellenbosch on the other hand retained their place in the top eight, as their narrow victory over TS Galaxy saw them cement sixth place and qualified them for next season’s MTN8 competition.
It has been a whirlwind campaign for both teams as City had to, for the first time, navigate their season with the added duties of both the champions league and also later the Confederation Cup.
While Stellies and Steve Barker had to somehow reinvent themselves after losing their captain Zitha Kwinika and last season club top-scorer Ashley Du Preez.
City head coach Eric Tinkler was asked by SuperSport TV to briefly discuss his side’s 2022/2023 campaign and the experienced mentor revealed his overall dissatisfaction.
“(We made a ) poor start, and by poor start I mean we were playing good football but the results weren't coming,” he explained
He then added: “And then we went through a period where we were playing terrible football but the results were coming and then in the run of the season, we started to grind out results and play more positive football, the kind of football we like to play. The confidence, the spirit, and the mood in training grew.”
“We finished off the season on a high but I'm not happy because it's not what I wanted. I wanted a positive start and to not necessarily finish higher than last season (second), but certainly get more points and score more goals and concede less.”
Due to their final-day exploits, City will face Chiefs in the opening round of the MTN8 next season while Stellenbosch travels to third-placed SuperSport United.
@ScribeSmiso
IOL Sport