City and SuperSport appreciate a point against each other as relegation threatens

Cape Town City caretaker coach Diogo Peral values the point they bagged in Sunday's goalless draw against fellow strugglers SuperSport United at Peter Mokaba Stadium, saying it was important to avoid a defeat against direct rivals in the relegation battle.

The scoreless draw stretched City's winless run to 11 games in all competitions, also leaving them just two points away from automatic relegation, if we exclude the inactive Royal AM. It was Peral's first game in charge of the Citizens after replacing Muhsin Ertugral almost two weeks ago. Excluding Royal as well, SuperSport remain rooted at the tail end of the table.

“We need wins to get out of the situation that we're in, but we were playing away to a good team. A point away from home, considering how many goals we've been conceding away from home this season, I think it's 20, we take the point and we go back home and see what we can do there,” Peral, who's assisted by experienced coach Roger De Sa, said.

“Yes, the point doesn't help our situation ... we know we need three points, but these guys [SuperSport] are direct competitors in the relegation zone, so if you go and lose a game against them, they get ahead of you, so we needed to find a balance.”

Meanwhile, Andre Arendse, who's also at the helm of SuperSport on a caretaker basis after the club fired Gavin Hunt a fortnight ago, appreciated the point against the Citizens as well, albeit he thought they deserved a victory. Matsatsantsa have now gone six games without a win, with three draws and three defeats.

“We are in a position at the moment in the league where we have to take every single point we can get. I thought the performance tonight from the team was worth more than that, to be honest,” Arendse said after what was also his first game as SuperSport's interim coach.

City's 11-game winless run (league unless stated)

27 Jan: 2-0 v Sekhukhune (Nedbank last 32)

2 Feb: 2-0 v Galaxy

5 Feb: 1-1 v Arrows

8 Feb: 2-0 v Magesi

18 Feb: 0-2 v Chippa

22 Feb: 2-1 v Pirates

2 March: 2-0 v AmaZulu

5 March: 1-1 v Galaxy

12 March: 0-0 v Chiefs

15 March: 0-1 Marumo

Sunday: 0-0 SuperSport

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