Durban City FC played to a 1-1 draw in a Betway Premiership encounter against Orbit College FC at a cold and wet Chatsworth Stadium on Friday night.
The team from the North West Province scored midway through the opening half, City coming back strongly in the second stanza to claim an equaliser, the winner however remaining elusive.
The home team had gotten the evening off to a bright start and enjoyed the first chance of the game when Samkelo Maseko played the ball with the outside of his right boot into the path of Jean Lwamba Lubamba, who was just unable to get on the end of the cross in the sixth minute.
Moments later, Lubamba raced onto a long ball from Haashim Domingo and hit a first-time volley with his left foot from the edge of the area, which went a metre wide of the upright.
At the other end of the field, home keeper Darren Keet called into a save in the 14th minute, reacting well after a goalmouth scramble had ended with a shot from Lucky Malatsi. It was the visitors who were to score against the run of play in the 20th minute as Gomolemo Khoto found himself in space on the left wing and hit an unstoppable angled shot across the goal and in at the far post.
The KwaZulu-Natal club looked to respond, and five minutes later Maseko cleverly played in Domingo on the right, but the latter’s well-struck shot was held by visiting goalkeeper Sekhoane Moerane.
The remainder of the first half proved frustrating, as City failed to find openings in the Orbit College defence under the driving rain in Chatsworth.
The home XI came out with renewed purpose after the restart and had the first chance of the second half when Domingo tested Moerane with a snappy free-kick.
The pressure continued to mount from Durban City as they began to pepper the Orbit College box.
And the breakthrough was not long in coming as Lubumba timed his run into the box perfectly to get a glancing header on a whipped cross from substitute Saziso Magawana, the ball deflecting off a defender on the way to the back of the net; 1-1 after 57 minutes.
Their tails up after the equaliser and with the lively home crowd in full voice, City went pressing for the winner.
A second goal looked on the cards in the 64th minute when Maseko’s pace took him through on goal, but it was not to be as Moerane came out tops with a sharp reflex save to keep out the low shot.
Keet meanwhile had some work to do as he kept out a couple of Orbit attacks around the 75 minute mark.
The closing moments of the match were largely frustrating for the Citizens as they just couldn’t find the key to unlock the side from Rustenburg.
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