Since 1985, the country’s top flight league had been known as the National Soccer League First Division but was then rebranded and repackaged from running on a full calendar year to an August-May programme ahead of the 1996/97 season.
The very first matches were played on the night of Friday, August 9, 1996 – both being coastal derbies.
Manning Rangers were at home to AmaZulu at Chatsworth Stadium while in the Mother City 1995 league champions Cape Town Spurs faced off against city rivals Hellenic at the Greenpoint Stadium.
Rangers lost 2-0 that night with Warren Lewis scoring eight minutes into the match, before Zambian midfielder Tenant Chilumba added the second halfway through the first half.
The Mighty Maulers eventually went on to finish as league champions while Usuthu – coached by Mike Makaab – finished in 14th place with their campaign disturbed by management differences.
Retired Zimbabwe international Yohanne still has vivid memories of that night at Chatsworth 21 years ago.
“A fairly strong squad had been assembled by Usuthu that year and I actually started that game,” Yohanne tells snl24.com/kickoff.
“We scored early and finished off that game with a comfortable lead that left us in a good space and feeling positive for the season ahead. I am actually surprised that it has now been this long since that night,” he notes.
That same Friday night Spurs played a goalless draw with Hellenic.
Alton Meiring played in that match – the first ever Cape Town derby under the PSL umbrella.
“That was a true coloured Cape Town derby,” he recalls.
“The build-up was usually filled with passion and families got divided. I was very close friends with Peter Philander, who played for Hellenic but on the week of the derby you could feel the tension with all the uncles making it known whose side they were on.
Typical of coloureds versus coloureds matches it would end up becoming violent on the field which is why those derbies always had red cards. At that time Benni [McCarthy] played on the right wing at Spurs while I was upfront,” says Meiring – who is also now retired.
That season the ever presents (players who started all 34 league games) were Carlos das Neves (Hellenic), Mark Davies (Manning Rangers), Helman Mkhalele (Orlando Pirates), Mxolisi Mchunu (Stars), Ronnie Zondi (SuperSport United).
Grant Johnson (Manning Rangers) and Perry Suckling (Wits University) both kept 16 clean sheets.