Durban City coach Simo Dladla has reiterated the club’s primary focus on promotion to the Betway Premiership next season. While acknowledging the Nedbank Cup quarter-final berth as a potential distraction, he emphasized that intentionally losing matches is not an option.

City reached the Nedbank Cup quarter-finals after defeating TS Galaxy at Chatsworth Stadium on Saturday and were subsequently drawn against Marumo Gallants. They are the only remaining team from the second-tier Motsepe Foundation Championship in the competition.

However, their strong league form, currently leading the Motsepe Foundation Championship with 37 points from 18 matches (five points clear), makes the Nedbank Cup run a delicate balancing act. “It is unfortunate that we can’t coach players to go and lose a match, but to be honest with you, at some point, we need to be focussing on your journey,” he said.  

Dladla faced a similar dilemma with Richards Bay in the 2020/21 season. After a first-round victory over Kaizer Chiefs, they reached the quarter-finals but ultimately faltered in their league promotion bid, despite leading the second tier for much of the season. Sekhukhune United was eventually promoted, and Chippa United retained their top-flight status after a controversial playoff situation involving Royal AM.

“Look, I come from a background where we had a 19-game unbeaten run and were top of the league for most of the season at Richards Bay,” Dladla recalled. “We reached the [cup] quarter-finals, beat Kaizer Chiefs, and there was a lot of excitement. But we then lost our way in the last five league games, and we don’t want the same thing to happen again.

“Of course, I will consult with the technical team and management. We will use these cup games to give game time and minutes to players who haven’t been playing regularly. This will be important to manage suspensions, injuries, and fatigue later in the season.”

City, rebranded from Maritzburg United at the beginning of the season, saw Dladla’s second-half substitutions prove decisive against Galaxy. Joslin Kamatuka and Senzo Ndlovu, both brought on in the second half, scored the goals that overturned a 1-0 deficit.

Dladla was pleased with the impact of his substitutions. “We were playing at home, against a high-quality side,” he explained. “We couldn’t afford to be chasing the game in front of our fans. In the first half, while we were defensively solid and well-structured, we didn’t use the ball effectively. They showed their quality when they had possession.

“I wasn’t happy with how we used the ball. There were moments where we could have played through their press and defense. But we kept winning the ball only to give it back to them, which was frustrating. In the second half, when we brought on Ruzaigh Gamildien, Saziso Magawana, and Athini Jodwana, we started to play our game. It was at that point that I felt we were playing the way we should. We then conceded a goal, which was against the run of play. We switched from zonal marking to man-to-man marking inside the box, and that cost us.”