Mpheni Defenders' long wait for promotion will continue for at least another season after the Limpopo side crashed out of the national promotional play-offs in Mthatha this week.
The team travelled to Mthatha Stadium in the Eastern Cape hoping to secure promotion to the Motsepe Foundation Championship, but their dream was quickly brought to an end.
The Limpopo side suffered a 2-0 defeat to Northern Cape outfit NC Professionals in their opening match on Tuesday, 2 June. The result left them needing a convincing victory in their next fixture to keep their promotion hopes alive. However, that was not to be.
Defenders went down 2-0 to KwaZulu-Natal side Mkhabathi FC on Wednesday, 3 June. The Limpopo outfit started the match with six new players in the line-up but struggled against their physically imposing opponents.
The defeat ended Mpheni Defenders' third attempt to gain promotion. Like their previous two campaigns, the bid proved unsuccessful. The teams that finish first and second in the play-offs will earn promotion to the Motsepe Foundation Championship, replacing the relegated Limpopo clubs Black Leopards and Baroka FC.
One of Defenders' longest-serving players, Gift Nemutandani, who was participating in the national promotional play-offs for the third time, expressed his disappointment.
“Our aim was to gain promotion to a higher league because we have been competing in the national playoffs for a long time. Unfortunately, things did not go our way,” he said.
Defenders coach Vhutshilo Phuravhathu said he was disappointed by the outcome, as the team's main objective had been to restore Limpopo's representation in the Motsepe Foundation Championship.
“In football, anything can happen. You can win, draw or lose. Unfortunately, the results did not favour us this time,” said Phuravhathu.