Dladla admits 'bittersweet' feeling despite KZN derby delight for Durban City

Durban City Coach Pitso Dladla was left with a bittersweet taste in his mouth after his team beat Richards Bay 1-0 on Sunday evening in an electric KwaZulu-Natal derby.

Dladla praised his seasoned keeper Darren Keet for the acrobatics in the net that saved them from losing three points but wished his team had more control over the first half, which he claimed was highly emotional and could have gone either way. 

After 80 minutes of back and forth of missed goal opportunities, Samkelo Maseko gave the home team their triumph in Chatsworth. 

"We played with a lot of emotions in the first half which I believe was wrong. It became an open game and anyone could have scored. There were a lot of counter-attacks from both teams, but I think Keet saved us," Dladla said.

Keet took home the Player of the Match award for his heroics, which kept his team with a clean sheet. City also missed a flurry of chances and could have easily been 2-0 up in the first half, forcing Dladla to try and calm his players down during halftime.

"In the break, we told them to leave out the emotions and try to control the game and take the tempo down a bit because Richards Bay players are young and energetic. So, we needed to play our game, and then at the right time, we got the goal," Dladla explained.

The goalscorer Maseko, meanwhile, told Independent Media he had nothing but the target on his mind once he cleared the last defender.

"I started quite deep in our half, and I played the ball with (Sanele) Magawana. I knew he would give it back to me, so I ran and he returned the pass. After I cut inside, I had a clear shot at goal. I tried to go for the far corner, but it ended up getting deflected and went in," Maseko explained.

The win puts Durban fifth in the league, behind AmaZulu, after Golden Arrows defeated Sekhukhune United earlier this evening. Manqoba Mngqithi's side taking a 1-0 victory over Sekhukhune was the best possible result for the Citizens, who are now in a battle for the top 3.

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