• Cape Town Spurs remains rooted to the bottom of the DStv Premiership standings after losing to Stellenbosch FC.
• The victory pushes Stellies up to fourth place as they can now shift their focus to the Carling Knockout Cup semi-final against Richards Bay.
• Spurs will only return to action on 13 December against Mamelodi Sundowns.
• For more sports news, go to the News24 Sport front page. 

Thirteen
matches, twelve defeats.

That’s
an agonising statistic that’s the reality for Cape Town Spurs as they went 3-0
down to Stellenbosch at Cape Town Stadium on Tuesday.

The
Urban Warriors persist in enduring the most challenging start to any DStv
Premiership season, and the current campaign proves to be a bitter pill for a
team steeped in South African football history.

The
sole glimmer of success this season materialised in a 2-1 triumph over Orlando
Pirates earlier this month. However, it’s noteworthy that this victory occurred
under the interim leadership of technical director Sean Connor, who stepped in
during the quest to secure a replacement for the dismissed Shaun Bartlett.

Now
guided by Ernst Middendorp, who assumed the mantle to revive Spurs, the German
mentor experienced a setback in his inaugural game at the helm as the team
suffered a 2-1 defeat against Royal AM over the weekend.

Regrettably,
this initial setback now adds to the tally of challenges facing the team.

The
recent loss has left the struggling Spurs rooted at the bottom of the table,
trailing the 15th-placed Richards by a margin of seven points. Furthermore,
they find themselves 11 points adrift of both Royal AM in 14th place and
Sekhukhune United in 13th place in the league standings.

Compounding
their woes, Spurs find themselves in a precarious position on the scoreboard,
managing only 10 goals across 13 matches, while conceding a staggering 27 at an
average rate of 2.08 goals per match. The stark reality of this statistical
imbalance began to unfold as early as the seven-minute mark for Middendorp’s
side.

A
forceful clearance via a deep out-of-the-hand kick by goalkeeper Sam Ramsbottom
quickly transformed into a disadvantage for Spurs. The English goalkeeper’s
decision to opt for a long punt set the stage for an immediate setback.

With
a contest for the ball, Luvuyo Phewa and Darrel Matsheke went up in flight, but
18-year-old Luke Baartman collected the ball and, in a poor attempt, played a
back pass into the path of the dangerous Iqraam Rayners.

Given
the remarkable form that the 27-year-old is currently enjoying, affording him
such an expanse of space with the ball at his feet inevitably spelt danger.
Without a moment’s hesitation, the striker propelled himself forward, deftly
opening his body as he reached the edge of the box. In a display of composure,
Rayners effortlessly slotted home his fourth goal in the league.

Stellies
appeared at ease, gracefully orchestrating their passes to establish a rhythm
before launching into their trademark attacking style, well-recognised in the
league. However, seizing upon the gift provided by Spurs’ defensive lapse, they
swiftly capitalised, dealing a further blow to Spurs’ confidence in a
resounding fashion.

That
lack of self-assurance was further evident when Baartman later perfectly teed
up Ashley Cupido on the edge of the box, and the striker, who was the club’s
leading goalscorer last season, could not find the target even though there was
enough space to score if not test Oscarine Masuluke.

Cupido
must have felt a sense of opportunity looming, and then, seemingly served on a
platter, he found himself with another chance—this time in a one-on-one
situation with Masuluke. However, the forward faltered in his otherwise
commanding run, as his first touch betrayed him just before he could unleash a
shot in pursuit of the equaliser.

Middendorp
appeared visibly frustrated, embodying the challenging task ahead as he
endeavoured to extricate Spurs from the shadows of the league table—an uphill
battle that, nevertheless, he has successfully navigated in the past, notably
with Maritzburg United.

The
second half unfolded in a similar fashion, with Stellies showcasing their class
by impeccably executing the fundamentals, a proficiency that Spurs seem to lack
abundantly.

If
there is any hope of survival for Spurs, then mastering these basics becomes
imperative as it will undoubtedly propel them towards accumulating the
essential points and steering clear of the bitter taste of relegation.

But
the thought of returning immediately to National First Division is like a cloud
that has been constant for the Cape-based side, who, despite creating space for
chances at goal, couldn’t find the back of the net against a spirited Stellies
side, buoyed by the fact that they have a Carling Cup semi-final to look
forward to this weekend.

One
such individual in high spirits was Jayden Adams, as he collected his first
call-up to Bafana Bafana two weeks ago and under the floodlights at Cape Town
Stadium, showed why Hugo Broos wanted the defensive midfielder in his squad.

After
outfoxing his way from two Spurs shirts, he darted forward and laced a through
ball to Devin Titus. The winger timely waited for more maroon shirts to enter
the penalty area, and Adams did so with aplomb, landing an expert header from
an acute angle for the cushioning second goal.

Then,
a moment of madness by Ramsbottom summed up Spurs’ poor decision-making and
gut-wrenching failure to perfect basics. The goalkeeper attempted to play out
from the back, but Michael Morton was easily despatched and pressed off the
ball before Matsheke finished off the match, scoring from close range to sink
the home side.

With
this victory, Stellies ascends to fourth place (20 points) and is set to travel
to Durban on Friday for their knockout match against Richards Bay scheduled for
Saturday.

In
contrast, Spurs will have a longer wait, as their next match is on Wednesday,
13 December, where they face the formidable challenge of Mamelodi Sundowns.