Swallows marked their return to top-flight football with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Stellenbosch in their DStv Premiership encounter at Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch yesterday.

Stellies ruined the Soweto giants' party when Robyn Johannes's penalty cancelled out a Ruzaigh Gamildien’s early goal from the penalty spot.

Swallows will be the happier of the two for avoiding defeat in their first league game of the season.

Both teams made schoolboy errors to concede the two penalties and will have to work on their defence going into their next league games.

The teams went into the game with one thing in common: Stellies won the GadAfrica Championship title in 2019 and Swallows won the first division title at the end of the 2019-20 season.

The Soweto giants were relegated in the 2014/15 season. They boasted former Orlando Pirates stars Lebohang Mokoena and Thabo Matlaba in the team. Veteran defender Vuyo Mere made history when he played in his 20th Premiership season. The 36-year-old is the only footballer still playing to have reached this historic feat. 

It didn’t take long for Swallows to score their first goal in the PSL after so many years of absence from the big stage.

Gamildien held his nerves to convert a penalty 15 minutes into the first half. Stellies defender and goalkeeper Lee Langeveldt’s bad mix-up inside the 18-yard box gifted a penalty to Swallows.

At the other end, Swallows goalie Virgil Vries and Sipho Sibiya combined to bring down Lelethu Skelem and conceded a penalty. Johannes stepped up to convert the spot-kick 25 minutes into the first half.

Elsewhere yesterday, Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila played to a 1-1 draw with TS Galaxy in Thohoyandou. Bevan Fransman scored for Galaxy, while Mogakolodi Ngele netted the equaliser for the hosts.

Weekend results

Tshakhuma 1, Galaxy 1; Stellenbosch 1, Swallows 1; SuperSport 2, Leopards 0; AmaZulu 1, Pirates 1; Cape Town City 1, Chippa 1; Bloem Celtic 1, 

Golden Arrows 1; Baroka 2, Maritzburg 1; Chiefs 0, Sundowns 3