We travelled the short distance to Durbanville on Saturday hoping to make amends for the shocking display vs Sunningdale and amends we made.

We are still getting used to the 5 subs one is allowed to make this season. Giving everyone in the squad a run whilst not upsetting the balance of the team and staying competitive is a tough ask. We did reasonably well in this regard on Saturday with a couple of fringe players getting some valuable game time.

It was a match characterised by grit and determination and some patches of good football, but we will need to be consistently better with keeping ball possesion as that hampered us again.

We scored a fluke when Mike Le Roux’s cross bounced over the keeper and into the top corner. It did give us some reward for the first half dominance. Just before the break, in one of their few attacks, Durbanville scored with a header at the far post that the defender could have done more to put him off.

Luckily after some half time substitutions Mike Le Roux, who was a constant threat, got a decent ball from a good build up and swivelled a snap shot nicely into the bottom left corner for his brace.

Legs tired after that and we had to dig deep to hold on for the victory. Some hard work needed on our fitness after illnesses and less training due to drought, but a welcome victory.

It was hard to pick a Man of the Match with Mike le Roux’s brace and some great keeping from Herno vd Linden also prevailent, but it has to go to Chris Stemmet with a relentless workrate and a never say die attitude.

Good to get the Derby win over our rivals!

Full time: Durbanville FC 1 Bellville City FC 2