Three major reasons that led to Cape Town Spurs' relegation

by Staff Reporter

Thursday May 16, 2024. 16:38

High hopes were placed on Cape Town Spurs upon their promotion to the PSL ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, unfortunately, the Urban Warriors were unable to replicate the showings they produced in the Motsepe Foundation Champion last season.

Here’s a look at three crucial aspects that led to Spurs’ early exit from the DStv Premiership.

Setting the tone

Spurs began their 23/24 campaign in South Africa’s top flight with eight defeats in their opening eight fixtures. While the Urban Warriors eventually broke their duck in a 2-1 win against Orlando Pirates on the 1st of November, the popular Cape side were unable to recover from their torrid start to the season and remained at the bottom of the log ever since.

Blunt attack force

The Urban Warriors are currently the lowest scoring team in the league with 20 efforts to their name after 28 matches played so far. Often posing little attacking threat to opposition defences, former Spurs coach Shaun Bartlett often spoke of the club’s underwhelming showing in front of goal during his time in charge in the DStv Premiership.

Troubleshooting issues

Following their slow start to the season, Bartlett was shown the door on the 2nd of October, days after their 3-1 loss to cross-town rivals Cape Town City. Sean Connor was roped in as interim coach, with the view of eventually becoming the club’s new Technical Director. In an attempt to save the season Ernst Middendorp was unveiled as Spurs’ new mentor on the 17th of November. However, the club recorded one victory and three defeats during Connor’s stint on the touchline.

Facing an incredibly demanding task, with reduced time, Middendorp jotted down just four victories while in the hot seat en-route to their immediate relegation to the Motsepe Foundation Championship.