Cape Town City go top as Ulderink warns Motsepe Foundation Championship race is wide open

Cape Town City moved to the top of the Motsepe Foundation Championship with a 1-0 win over Magesi on Monday, but coach Andries Ulderink believes the league table will only become truly significant towards the end of the 2026/27 campaign.

Emile Witbooi scored the decisive goal after just two minutes before City defended their advantage to claim a fourth consecutive victory.

The result lifted Cape Town City above Magesi on goals scored, with both clubs on 20 points and a goal difference of +7. Magesi had been unbeaten before the match.

Ulderink was pleased with his side’s start but felt their performance on the ball dipped as the game progressed.

“I thought we started quite well today [Monday], playing nice in between the lines, and we kept possession,” he said.

“But I think after 20-25 minutes, our opponent pressed a little bit more forward, and there was still some good moments, but we were not so good on the ball as in previous games. So sometimes it was counterattacks, two times an offside goal.

“So, the second half, we controlled it again a little bit more, and we were not so calm in the last phase. We started shooting, crossing, making an action. So that’s something what we really need to improve.”

The victory nevertheless offered further encouragement to Ulderink, who believes Cape Town City are making progress in their style of play as well as benefiting from their results.

“Every time you win, you get a certain feeling,” he said.

“But I thought, in general, we’ve started playing better, and also today it was not completely bad. And also compliments for the opponent here. I think before this they didn’t have a loss yet, so you can see it’s a strong team, and so yes, the wins are important, but also the development in how we play on the ball is, in general, quite good.”

Despite reaching the summit, the Dutch coach said the standings should not yet be given too much importance, with the decisive phase still some way off.

“For me it’s the last four or five games; then the table becomes really interesting,” Ulderink added.

Cape Town City’s next match is away against Upington, a fixture Ulderink expects to be just as demanding as the meeting with Magesi.

“Now we play Upington away. Look, Upington away or Magesi at home? Who do you like to play?” he said.

He also pointed to Orbit’s difficult challenge earlier in the season as evidence of the competitiveness across the division.

“Orbit, I don’t understand that they are in the bottom of the league. After 25 minutes, they gave us a really hard time in how they played. So, it’s so close in this league, and I think now there are six or seven teams very close together? If you lose twice, then you’re seventh in the league.

“So that’s how it is in this league, and it’s a strong league. It’s a strong league.”