Cape Town City and Milford FC Book Promotion Play-Off Spots
The Motsepe Foundation Championship saved its best for last.
After months of grinding results, tense calculations, and nervous glances at the standings, the final matchday delivered exactly the kind of chaos and theatre that football does better than any other sport. When the dust settled on Sunday, Cape Town City and Milford FC had punched their tickets to the promotion play-offs, but not without a few heart-stopping moments along the way.
Kruger United had already sealed the title and earned automatic promotion to the Betway Premiership before the final whistle blew anywhere. But behind them, the race for second and third was still very much alive, and two clubs rose to the occasion when it mattered most.
City Deliver in a Six-Goal Thriller
Cape Town City did not come to Dobsonville Stadium to play it safe. They came to win, and win they did, in a match that had everything.
Four penalties. Six goals. Lead changes. Comebacks. And a performance that showed exactly why City belong in the conversation about South African football’s best.
Dzenan Zajmovic got things started inside the opening 10 minutes, pouncing on the rebound after Emile Witbooi’s penalty was saved. It was not the prettiest of goals, but in a match this important, nobody was measuring aesthetics.
Leicesterford City hit back before half-time when Matome Mmolai converted from the spot after Lorenzo Gordinho was penalised. Level. Nerves jangling on the Cape Town City bench. But Gabriel Amato had the answer, stepping up to curl a free-kick into the net and restore the lead heading into the break. City went in 2-1 up, and it felt like enough.
It was not enough. Not yet.
Fuad Johnson equalised from the penalty spot early in the second half, and for a moment the play-off dream flickered. But Cape Town City are not a side that panics easily. Jaedin Rhodes steadied the ship, putting City back in front before completing his brace with a combination finish alongside Witbooi.
4-2. Final score. Done.
The win confirmed second place and a spot in the promotion play-offs. Cape Town City had delivered under pressure, and everyone in Dobsonville Stadium knew it.
Milford Hold Their Nerve in Upington
While Cape Town City were busy producing fireworks, Milford FC were playing an entirely different kind of game in Upington.
Nobody scored. Not once. The match against Hungry Lions was tight, physical, and at times uncomfortable to watch. But for Milford FC, that goalless draw was worth everything.
Hungry Lions needed a win to keep their play-off ambitions alive. Milford knew that a single point would be enough to secure third place. The game became exactly what you would expect from two sides with completely different agendas, one desperate to break through, the other determined to hold firm.
Milford held firm.
When the final whistle blew in Upington, the Milford players knew immediately what they had achieved. Third place. A promotion play-off berth. And something far more significant than any league position, a genuine shot at making history.
Milford FC have never played in the Betway Premiership. Not once. This group of players now stands on the edge of something no Milford side has ever achieved before. That goalless draw in Upington, as unglamorous as it was, might just be the result that changes this club forever. Hungry Lions, by contrast, ended the season in fifth place. So close, and yet so far.
Casric Stars Pay the Price for a Slow Season
Casric Stars did everything right on the final day. They beat Gomora United 3-1, with Siphamandla Mlilo and Siphamandla Msezane both scoring in a dominant second-half display after Gomora had levelled before the break.
But football does not reward final-day performances in isolation. It rewards consistency over a full season. Casric finished fourth, two points short of the play-off places, and their winning afternoon counted for nothing in the bigger picture.
It was a painful way to end the campaign for a side that stayed in the race until the very last round of matches.
The Play-Offs: What Comes Next
Cape Town City and Milford FC will now face each other and the team that finishes 15th in the Betway Premiership in a round-robin play-off series running across three weeks.
The two sides know each other well. Milford won 1-0 at home earlier in the season, while the reverse fixture in Cape Town finished 2-2. Neither team enters the play-offs with a clear psychological edge, which makes the opening fixture on May 26 all the more intriguing.
Play-Off Fixtures:
| Date | Fixture |
|---|---|
| May 26 | Cape Town City vs Milford FC |
| May 30 | 15th Betway Premiership team vs Cape Town City |
| June 3 | Milford FC vs 15th Betway Premiership team |
| June 6 | Milford FC vs Cape Town City |
| June 10 | Cape Town City vs 15th Betway Premiership team |
| June 13 | 15th Betway Premiership team vs Milford FC |
For Cape Town City, this play-off run is about reclaiming their place in South African football’s top division. For Milford FC, it is about writing a chapter in this club’s history that has never been written before.
The regular season is finished. The real fight is just beginning.
Final-Day Results
- Kruger United 2-2 The Bees
- Leicesterford City 2-4 Cape Town City
- Hungry Lions 0-0 Milford FC
- Casric Stars 3-1 Gomora United
- Baroka FC 0-0 Upington City
- University of Pretoria 6-2 Midlands Wanderers
- Lerumo Lions 4-0 Black Leopards
- Venda Football Academy 1-2 Highbury
Baroka FC and Black Leopards had already been confirmed as relegated before the final round of fixtures was played.
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