Cape Town City were denied a winning start in the PSL Promotion play-offs after being held to a goalless draw against Orbit College on Saturday afternoon.
Thamsanqa Mkhize, Thabo Nodada, Thulani Serero and Fortune Makaringe started on the bench for City, while the visitors restored Gomolemo Khoto and Moikhomotsi Thibedi.
City, who are in the play-offs for the first time ever, made a strong start where Shakeel April and Jaedin Rhodes moved between the lines and pinned the visitors back.
Youth international Jody Ah Shene came close to unlock the visitors with a first-time shot from a tight angle in the area minutes later, but goalkeeper Sekhoane Moerane made the save at the near post.
However, the Championship outfit didn’t lose shape and continued to hold their own amidst the sustained level of pressure applied by the home team.
There were two substitutions at the start of the second half, with the Citizens introducing veteran Serero for Luyolo Slatsha and rising star Emile Witbooi for Ah Shene.
City almost trailed five minutes in through a header by Khoto following a corner-kick, but he misjudged the flight of the ball and saw the chance spurned.
Witbooi came close to handing City the lead a minute later when he dropped a shoulder outside the area and fired off the top of the crossbar.
Orbit looked to do a smash-and-grab with time running out and summoned Ayanda Lukhele on from the dugout ahead of Khoto.
Lukhele almost came to his side’s aid in the last ten minutes with a low shot from a tight angle, but he steered across the face of the goal.
City could’ve had the winner too in the closing seconds, but a double save from Moerane denied substitute Cee-Jay Bezuidenhout and April as goalless it finished at the DHL Stadium.