Betway Premiership | 26 August 2026
Milford added another away point to their Betway Premiership account on Wednesday, but a goalless draw at Polokwane City‘s Old Peter Mokaba Stadium will leave them wondering how they did not win it, or indeed how they did not lose it. The visitors bossed the ball from first whistle to last, finishing with 66 percent possession and 16 shots to the hosts’ seven, yet all that territory produced a meagre 0.42 expected goals. A clean sheet and a point on the road are useful currency for a promoted side, but the blunt edge in front of goal is the detail that will nag at the coaching staff.
Plenty of the ball, little of the bite
This was a performance of control without conviction. Milford moved the ball well and camped in Polokwane’s half for long stretches, but quantity of shots masked a lack of quality — 16 attempts for less than half an expected goal is the signature of a side getting into good areas and then choosing the wrong moment, or the wrong finish. Dominating possession away from home is a sign of a team growing into this level; turning that dominance into clear sights of goal is the next step up.
Cele the standout
If there was an individual to take from the night it was Olwethu Cele, named player of the match with a rating of 8.2 for a composed, controlling display in the middle of the park. On an evening when the final ball too often let Milford down, Cele’s work in dictating tempo and keeping the side on the front foot was the reason they held the whip hand for so long. Build around performances like his and the goals tend to follow.
The other side of the ledger
For all their possession, Milford should also be grateful for the clean sheet. Polokwane carried the greater threat on the counter, their 1.24 xG from just seven shots a warning that dominance of the ball does not guarantee safety at the back. The visitors’ discipline held — no red cards, the defensive shape intact — and in a game they did not win, not losing it was its own small achievement.
Final word
A point at Polokwane keeps Milford ticking along, and there is genuine encouragement in a promoted team dictating a game on the road. But 16 shots and no goal is a sentence that writes its own to-do list. The platform is there — the possession, the midfield control, the defensive steel. What this young Milford side needs now is the ruthless final act that turns afternoons like this from honourable draws into the wins that keep a newcomer clear of trouble.
