ONE-ROUND LEAGUES LIGHT UP CTTLFA PROMOTION RACE

The Cape Town Tygerberg Local Football Association promotional leagues are hotting up as the race for promotion in a single round league format intensifies.

The LFA leagues were originally halted due to restrictions imposed by the SAFA and Government response to the coronavirus pandemic and when football was able to resume, the Association’s clubs – through a majority vote – opted to expunge all previous results and restart the season with a one-round league.

Hanover Park’s Rieduwaan Anthony, after watching his team cruise through to the last 16 of the Coke Cup, celebrates his 59th birthday over the weekend with former Durbanville Football Club head coach, Graham Purdy at a celebratory event in Downberg Road.

Clubs were given the choice to withdraw from football for the season and a number of clubs took the opportunity to do so as the general body also voted not to have relegation during the current 2021 one-round league.

While some are enjoying their time off, others are hard at work attempting to take advantage of a single round of fixtures, no relegation and an opportunity to gain promotion in a smaller league than normal.

The Premier Division sees Saxon Rovers having amassed a massive +16 goal difference, without conceding a single goal, after just three games while Rygersdal, also having played three, are tied on nine points with just a +7 goal difference. Durbanville, who’s coach Graham Purdy stepped down two weeks ago, are also on nine points however they’ve played an extra game. Edgemead and Fish Hoek both share seven points after their four games, ensuring they stay in the mix and remain close to the top three. With a place in the Regional Third Division playoffs up for grabs, there’s no doubt this one will go down to the wire.

Rygersdal Football Club is currently tied on points with Saxon Rovers as the two favourites battle it out for the coveted play-off spot.

In the First Division, with six games under their belt, Bothasig and Green Point lead the charge with 14 points. Although the Atlantic Seaboard side have not lost a game this season, Their main rival’s only loss was the very first fixture of the season where Bothasig went down 3-1 to UCT, who sit on 11 points – just three shy of the top two. FC Kapstadt can still find themselves in the mix, having only played five games and picking up eight points – a win with their game in hand can put them in the running after holding Bothasig to a 0-0 draw last weekend.

It’s anyone’s guess who will claim the top two promotion spots in the Second Division as Camps Bay, Tramway and Queens Park are all tied on nine points in arguably one of the closest title races we’ve seen in recent years. YSD Macassar remain in the thick of the promotion push with seven points from their four games and boast a goal difference of +5; the same as log leaders Camps Bay and Tramway. Bobby Breen’s Camps Bay side have already come up against Tramway when they lost 2-1, but with away games to Queens Park and YSD Macassar – on the final day of the season – still on the cards, the final weeks could prove defining in the push for First Division football.

Whether or not the “boardroom” will play a role in any of the final league outcomes is anyone’s guess but the coaches are all acutely aware of their busy schedules which – for some – includes the added pressure of competing in the latter rounds of SAFA Cape Town’s Coca-Cola Amateur Cup competition.

The fight for promotion is sizzling; it’s anyone’s guess whose going to grab promotion during this unprecedented season. One thing we know for sure is that five teams will have bragging rights as the season concludes over the next four weeks.

Follow the league tables and predict who you think will win promotion from each division:

Premier Division: https://cttfass.leaguerepublic.com/fg/1_96508316.html

First Division: https://cttfass.leaguerepublic.com/fg/1_701011618.html

Second Division: https://cttfass.leaguerepublic.com/fg/1_878329326.html