Durban City edge Richards Bay in gritty KZN derby

Durban City’s superb home form continued on Sunday evening after they beat Richards Bay in a crucial KwaZulu-Natal derby in the Betway Premiership.

Not even a local derby could completely fill Chatsworth Stadium, but the home fans certainly tried their best to make their voices heard. The atmosphere was more upbeat than usual; the drums were beaten a bit harder and fans sang a little louder in the hope that the Citizens could secure all three points.

And secure maximum points they did, with City taking control of the encounter in the opening minutes, pressing play into the Rich Boyz' half.

The hosts looked explosive going forward, with Terrence Mashego creating the first real chance of the match. Meanwhile, Richards Bay sat deep, looking for the long ball into City territory, often utilising the flanks. The centre of the field was rarely an area either side tried to penetrate during the first half.

Durban won a free-kick just outside the 18-yard box after Luphumlo Sifumba was brought down, creating the first real shot at goal from a set-piece. Richards Bay started to fight back midway through the half and almost netted from a header.

City goalkeeper Darren Keet was forced into action after a strike at goal nearly clipped the crossbar. In response, Thapelo Maseko and Sifumba teamed up to attack Richards Bay's defensive line, but they couldn't keep the ball down to find the back of the net.

Richards Bay definitely found their rhythm towards the end of the first half, as Thulani Gumede again forced Keet into a save from inside the box. The Rich Boyz were desperately unlucky not to score in the dying minutes of the first stanza, hitting the bar twice while Durban created two clear chances of their own.

Both teams struggled to find that same tempo and energy in the second half. The intensity took an evident dip as the sides remained deadlocked and a 0-0 draw seemed inevitable.

Finally, the breakthrough came when Maseko cut past the last defender following a long ball by Mashego, slotting home to put his team 1-0 up. Durban almost doubled their lead shortly after but failed to convert their second opportunity of the half.

Following Golden Arrows' victory over Sekhukhune United earlier on Sunday, Durban City are now in serious contention for a top-three placing in the league. They join a group of teams including AmaZulu, Kaizer Chiefs, and Sekhukhune United behind league pacesetters Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns, but remain several points clear of seventh-placed Polokwane City in the battle for a CAF Confederation Cup spot.

SCOREBOARD

Durban City (0) 1 

Maseko 79

Richards Bay 0

Jehran Naidoo is sports reporter for Independent Media and social media coordinator of the our YouTube channel The Clutch.