Cape Town City’s Darren Keet Upbeat Ahead of Crucial PSL Play-Off Clash Against Orbit College

Cape Town City veteran goalkeeper Darren Keet is rallying his teammates with a message of optimism and focus as the club gears up for their first fixture in the 2024/25 PSL promotion/relegation play-offs.

The Citizens begin their campaign at home against Orbit College FC at DHL Stadium this Saturday at 15:00, with the aim of bouncing back from a challenging season that saw them finish outside the DStv Premiership top eight for the first time since their 2016 inception.

A win against Orbit would catapult them to the summit of the mini-league standings, following a goalless draw between Orbit and Castric Stars in Wednesday’s opener.

Keet, who remarkably played every minute of Cape Town City’s league season, acknowledges the gravity of the moment but remains confident in the squad’s ability to handle the pressure.

“It’s a different territory for us at the moment because, as Cape Town City, we’ve never finished outside the Top Eight. It’s untested waters,” said Keet. “But we have enough qualities and capabilities to overcome the challenge. It will be tough, but we also have a good mixture of experience to be able to deal with this situation.”

With the club’s fate in their own hands, Keet highlighted their preparation strategy, which includes studying previous matches from both Orbit College and Castric Stars to better understand their patterns and weaknesses.

“It’s a difficult game to watch because you’re not getting the whole of it,” he explained, referring to Wednesday’s draw. “That’s why we’ve been doing our work behind the scenes, watching other games they’ve played throughout the season. I think both teams were cautious on Wednesday.”

Looking ahead to Saturday’s clash, Keet outlined the mission clearly: “We need to win our first game and go to Castric with a positive result. That’s what the plan is – to get to position one and stay there.”

Despite the high stakes, the mood in the Cape Town City camp remains positive.

“There’s a little bit of stress and pressure, naturally, but I think we’ve been able to deal with it pretty well,” Keet said. “Especially in our last three games, where we got two good results – a solid win and a 0-0 draw against tough sides like Polokwane City and Stellenbosch FC. That will help us go into these play-offs with a positive vibe.”

Cape Town City, valued at €9.28 million (around R193 million) by Transfermarkt, will be determined to stay in the top-flight. Club boss John Comitis, who originally purchased the status of Mpumalanga Black Aces to launch the Cape Town-based side in 2016, will be keen to see his investment remain among the elite.

With everything to play for and the advantage of a home crowd, all eyes will be on Cape Town City this weekend as they begin their bid for PSL survival.