Highbury FC have made an impressive start to the new Motsepe Foundation Championship season, establishing themselves among the early pacesetters after collecting maximum points from their opening two matches.
The Gqeberha-based Eastern Cape outfit continued their strong start on Friday when they defeated Hope FC 1-0 at the Nelson Mandela University Stadium.
The victory followed their impressive 2-1 away win over The Bees in their opening match of the campaign, giving Highbury six points from their first two matches.
Highbury are under the guidance of experienced coach Vusumuzi Vilakazi, who took charge of the club in June after replacing Kabelo Sibiya.
Vilakazi has wasted little time in making his mark, with his side showing early signs of becoming one of the teams to watch in the battle for promotion to the Betway Premiership.
Highbury’s opening two victories have also given them an early advantage in what promises to be a long and demanding campaign.
Magesi looking for another victory
Meanwhile, newly relegated Magesi FC are also enjoying a positive beginning to life back in the Motsepe Foundation Championship.
Dikwena tša Meetse opened their campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory away to Midlands Wanderers last Saturday, with Nyakala Raphadu scoring the only goal of the match.
Magesi will now be hoping to make it two wins from two when they welcome The Bees to Seshego Stadium in Polokwane on Saturday afternoon.
The match represents an opportunity for Magesi to maintain their early momentum and put themselves among the leading contenders for an immediate return to the top flight.
Magesi were relegated from the Betway Premiership last season after finishing 15th on the table.
Their attempt to retain their top-flight status through the Promotion/Relegation Play-Offs ultimately failed, bringing an end to their stay in the elite division.
The Limpopo side will now have promotion as their main objective, although they will know that a long season lies ahead.
Orbit College struggle for early momentum
Orbit College, who also joined the Motsepe Foundation Championship after being relegated from the Betway Premiership, have endured a more difficult beginning.
The Rustenburg-based side lost their opening match 1-0 away to Leicesterford City, leaving them without a point after the first round.
However, Orbit had an opportunity to change their fortunes on Friday night when they hosted Hungry Lions at Olympia Park.
The match ended in a goalless draw, giving Orbit their first point of the campaign but leaving them still searching for their first victory.
The result means Orbit have made a slow start to their campaign, but the point could prove important as they attempt to rebuild after their relegation from the top flight.
Matchday 2 results
Friday’s action produced two confirmed results, with Highbury beating Hope 1-0 and Orbit College drawing 0-0 with Hungry Lions.
The Gomora United-Venda FC fixture was also scheduled for Friday at Malamulele Stadium.
Saturday’s fixtures
The Motsepe Foundation Championship continues with four matches on Saturday as follows:
• Lerumo Lions vs North West University (Dobsonville Stadium, Soweto)
• University of Pretoria vs Midlands Wanderers (Tuks Stadium, Pretoria)
• Upington City vs Casric Stars (Mxolisi Dicky Jacobs Stadium, Upington)
There is also an evening fixture between Cape Town City and Leicesterford City, scheduled for 6.30pm at Athlone Stadium.
The league will take a week long break and resume on September 2 which will see Cape Town City taking on Leicesterford City, on Wednesday, 2 followed by further matches on September 4, 5 and 6.
With the early table already beginning to take shape, Highbury have emerged as one of the early teams to watch, while Magesi will be hoping to join them at the top end of the standings with another victory on home soil.
For Orbit College, the priority will be to turn their first point of the campaign into a foundation for their fight to climb away from the bottom half of the table.