"Anxious" Durban City didn't have composure to crack Stellenbosch

Even though they outplayed Gavin Hunt's Stellenbosch for a majority of the game, Durban City lacked composure up front and couldn't get the 3 points at Chatsworth Stadium on Friday. 

Hunt returned to Chatsworth Stadium for the first time since his departure to take on his former assistant - Pitso Dladla. There's no denying that Dladla's influence on the team has whisked them to new heights. 

Durban controlled the game for the most part but had to settle for the 0-0 draw having not successfully penetrated the Stellies defence structure. 

Defensively, Durban looked flawless - even on a wet and muddy pitch, as Captain Siphamandla Ncanana took player of the match for his performance at the back.

Keeping a cool head inside the Stellenbosch box and taking those first touch shots is where they fell short, according to Dladla. 

"They were really organised defensively and hard to break down. They got really physical as well. I think we were a bit anxious and wasn't calm inside the box. We created a lot of chances inside their box but we never took those. Honestly, that is something we need to work on as a team. We going to have to go back to the drawing board and spend a lot of time there. 

"Defensively, I think we are one of the best teams but upfront we need to find some alignment. We are a team that should have won by at least 1-0 because of how well we defended but moving forward we have to work with our forwards during training," Dladla said. 

Darren Keet didn't play the past two league games since winning the Nedbank Cup final and announcing his retirement from football. Ghanian goalkeeper Fredrick Asare didn't look like a replacement at all - having an athletic game in the nets. 

Dladla said goal keeping coach Rowan Fernandes has done a brilliant job in preparing him for the role. 

"I thought Fredrick played a really good game and Rowan has done a great job with all our keepers. Right now, our main focus is making sure our players get enough rest. We played a few games over the past 7 days so the most important thing now is recover and nurse those small injuries," Dladla said. 

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