Milford suffered a major setback in their promotion bid after falling to a 1-0 defeat against Cape Town Spurs in the PSL Promotion/Relegation playoffs at the Umhlathuze Sports Complex on Saturday afternoon.
The decisive blow came in the 83rd minute. Heaven Sereets brilliantly tormented his marker on the right wing before sending a pinpoint delivery into the box, allowing Therlo Moosa to tap home the match-winner from close range.
Cape Town Spurs, who entered the fixture rooted to the bottom of the log after consecutive defeats, are now officially back in the running. The victory moves them to three points from three games, pulling them level with Magesi FC.
Despite the loss, Milford remains at the summit of the playoff table with six points. While a victory on Saturday would have pushed the KwaZulu-Natal outfit to the brink of automatic Betway Premiership promotion, they must now prepare to fight tooth and nail in a high-stakes final away match against Magesi.
The Stallions had initially seized complete control of the mini-league by accumulating six points from their opening two matches, sitting three points clear of Magesi after defeating them on Wednesday. They entered Saturday’s clash determined to maintain their momentum and edge closer to top-flight football. Conversely, Jan Verheijen’s side arrived desperate for a result after dropping their first two playoff fixtures.
The visitors signaled their intent early in the first half through Jaedin Rhodes, whose powerful strike rattled the crossbar with Milford goalkeeper Siphamandla Hleza completely beaten. Milford survived the scare and soon carved out a golden opportunity of their own; Siphosethu Ndlabi broke clean through on goal but dragged his shot agonizingly wide with only Luca Diana-Olario to beat.
It proved to be a costly miss that would have left the Cape side completely up against it. Just as the match seemed destined for a scoreless stalemate, Moosa delivered immense heartbreak to Milford and resurrected a Spurs side that looked dead and buried just days ago.
The promotional race now heads down to a dramatic finale. To pull off an improbable escape and secure top-flight status, Cape Town Spurs must defeat Magesi in their final match and rely on Milford losing their respective fixture.
