Cape Town City relegated as Orbit College complete fairy-tale rise to Premiership

Orbit College have made history and booked their place in next season’s Premiership after defying the odds to defeat Cape Town City 1-0 in a tense PSL Promotional Playoff clash at Olympia Park Stadium in Rustenburg on Wednesday.

The triumph took the North West-based team to an unreachable tally of eight points from four fixtures, leaving both City and Casric Stars with only one game remaining, set for next Monday, with the Cape outfit now relegated to the Motsepe Foundation Championship.

City entered the clash with two matches still to be played, but were fully aware that anything short of a result would leave them in danger, especially after Orbit had seized control of the group with a dramatic late win over Casric the previous weekend.

This was Orbit’s maiden appearance in the playoffs – a historic moment for the club. They had narrowly missed out on automatic promotion earlier in the season finishing second after Durban City, but they arrived in Rustenburg determined to make their mark.

The opening half reflected the weight of the occasion. With easily the most vibrant crowd of the entire mini tournament behind them, the atmosphere around the home side was electric, urging every attack forward with passionate energy.

Orbit began brighter between the two teams, dictating early possession and pushing into the final third.

But despite finding space in wide areas, they couldn’t convert their half-chances into anything substantial, and failed to register a clear goal-scoring opportunity before the interval.

City came out of the break looking sharper.

Jaedin Rhodes stood out with a moment of brilliance, twisting away from his marker and playing a delightful ball through to Prins Tjiueza, who found himself one-on-one with Orbit’s goalkeeper Sekhoane Moerane – only to be denied by the shot-stopper’s bravery and sharp reflexes.

They would soon be made to pay, though, as from that resulting play, Moerane's goal-kick found Gomolemo Khoto, who despite having plenty to do, caught City napping with his pinpoint cross to locate Letsie Koapeng.

His expert finish in the 48th minute not only to send the packed Olympia Park crowd into a frenzy, but hit City into reality as their Premiership status slipped through their grasp.

With the pressure mounting, City were left chasing the game and desperately needing a response.

Coach Diego Peral reacted swiftly to going behind, ringing in substitutions to inject fresh legs and urgency into their play.

Their intentions were unmistakable: to go for the equaliser, while Orbit tightened up defensively.

However, the breakthrough never came.

The Cape side’s attacking play lacked imagination and cutting edge, a flaw that had plagued them throughout the mini tournament and their Premiership campaign.

That continued inability to unlock defences ultimately sealed their fate, and with this defeat, they will now prepare to compete in the lower division next season.