Cape Town City suffered a setback in their promotion bid after losing 1-0 at home to Milford in the opening match of the relegation/promotion play-offs.
Siphosethu Ndlabi scored the only goal of the game at Athlone Stadium from the penalty spot in the 23rd minute.
The result gives Milford the advantage heading into their second play-off game against Magesi on June 3. City are next in action against Dikwena tsa First on May 30.
The home team started the clash on the front foot with a couple of set-pieces that needed defending from the visiting side.
There were calls for a penalty after 10 minutes as Emile Witbooi went down in the box after some good approach play, but the shout went against the young attacker.
City were settling into a good passing rhythm, with Gabriel Amato controlling the tempo.
Attacker Jaedin Rhodes set Therlo Moosa through on goal, but his pass was well intercepted, before City skipper Lorenzo Gordinho headed a 16th-minute free-kick over the target.
Ndlabi was offside as he missed a glorious chance in front of goal to put Milford ahead, skewing a good cross from the right by Mvelo Zikakayo.
But Milford continued to impress and were soon ahead as Ndlabi fired home from the spot after City keeper Mickey van der Hart brought down Bulelani Sigomoshe.
City responded with a good spell of possession, with Rhodes firing well over from range as the clock approached the 30-minute mark.
Milford, though, were looking more and more comfortable as the game progressed, with Zikakayo causing problems for the home defence. The big attacker needed to be brought down after 34 minutes as he raced through on goal.
Milford skipper and goalkeeper Siphamandla Hleza was quickly off his line to cut out a pass into the box from Dhakier Lee, with Dzenan Zajmovic waiting.
Rhodes tried his luck with another long-range effort in the 36th minute that was never going to test Hleza.
Moosa then rose well to connect with a deep Rhodes cross from the left, but his effort flew just past the outside of the left upright.
City needed some last-gasp defending from Bokang Telile to stop Sigomoshe from getting a shot away on the edge of the area as the first half wound down, while both sides were quick to attack at the start of the second period.
Moosa’s run and cross were ultimately blocked before Cayden Fortune got back well to deny Sigomoshe a shot after a neat ball played him in on the left by Ndlabi.
Rhodes won a free-kick in a good position for City after 10 minutes of the second half. It was expertly passed into the feet of Lee on the edge of the box, but the referee got in the way of the player before his shot was blocked in front of goal.
Witbooi had a superb chance to level in the 58th minute after City’s best passage of play, but his shot lacked the power to beat Hleza.
City were being let down by a number of misplaced passes as they continued to search for an equaliser. Another good opportunity came when Moosa teed up Rhodes, only for the attacker to fire over from the edge of the area.
City showed more intent in their attempts to find a leveller and were starting to open up their opponents as second-half substitute Heaven Sereets’ mazy run won his side a corner. He floated it in himself, but it was well held by Hleza.
There were calls for a penalty for handball as a lively Sereets got forward again, but Vusumuzi Mthabela’s arm was probably close enough to his body to be considered in a natural position.
Fellow substitute Khanyisani Radebe had a shot blocked by Fortune from a 72nd-minute corner, and Hleza was quickly out to get to the ball ahead of Moosa as the action swung from end to end in the final 15 minutes.
Milford were stringing more passes together as the game drew to a close, frustrating City, who made a late triple substitution, with Keagan Dolly, Kayden Francis and Alifeyo Ziba replacing Lee, Zinganto and Fortune. However, it was a case of too little, too late as the travelling side saw out the win.