Cape Town City have maintained their position at the top of the Motsepe Foundation Championship table, but the pressure is increasing as several teams continue to close the gap in the promotion race. Saturday's results made the competition even tighter, with five clubs now separated by just one point after ten matches.

City were unable to collect maximum points after playing to a 1-1 draw against Upington City away from home in the Northern Cape. The visitors looked on course for victory after Therlo Moosa scored to give them the lead, but they could not hold on to their advantage.

Upington City continued fighting and eventually found an equaliser with ten minutes remaining. Neo Dikgale scored the important goal to ensure that the home side collected a point and prevented Cape Town City from extending their advantage at the top.

The result meant City remained on 21 points after ten league matches. However, they were not the only team to drop points at the weekend, as second-placed Magesi also failed to secure a victory.

Magesi were held to a 1-1 draw at home by ORBIT College, missing an opportunity to move ahead of Cape Town City. Both teams are now level on 21 points and have an identical goal difference of plus seven. City remain first because they have scored more goals than Magesi.

The situation at the top has become even more interesting following victories for Lerumo Lions, Hope FC and Real Native. All three clubs moved onto 20 points, leaving them just one point behind the leading pair.

Lerumo Lions strengthened their position in third place with a 2-1 away victory over Midland Wanderers. Nasiphi Bhanayi and Mehluleli Maphumulo were on target for the visitors, while Siyabonga Khumalo scored for Midland Wanderers.

Hope FC also collected three important points after defeating Hungry Lions 1-0 in Cape Town. The match appeared to be heading towards a draw before Dilorenzo Lombard scored a stoppage-time winner to give Hope an important victory.

Real Native also enjoyed a successful afternoon, recording a 2-0 away win against Leicesterford City. Mbulelo Nombengula and Lerato Ntamane scored the goals that helped their team move into fourth position, ahead of Hope FC on goal difference.

Elsewhere, NWU recorded a convincing 3-1 victory over Highbury to boost their confidence, while AmaTuks and Gomora United shared the points after an entertaining 2-2 draw. Gomora showed determination by recovering from two goals behind to avoid defeat.

At the other end of the table, Venda Football Club remain bottom after playing to a goalless draw against The Bees. The result means Venda are still searching for their first league victory after ten matches.

ORBIT College are also yet to win a match this season despite picking up a valuable point against Magesi.

With Cape Town City, Magesi, Lerumo Lions, Real Native and Hope FC separated by just one point, the promotion race remains wide open. The latest results have shown that the leading teams cannot afford to become comfortable, as even a single dropped point could have a major effect on the standings.

Source: IDiskiTimes