Royal AM held on dearly for a 3-2 win over rivals Richards Bay FC in the DStv Premiership KZN derby at the Harry Gwala Stadium in Pietermaritzburg on Sunday afternoon.

All the goals were scored in the first half and when Royal AM ran up a commanding 3-0 lead everything pointed to a runaway win for them.

However, Richards Bay stormed back into the match but ultimately, they came up short and suffered defeat, although they will be kicking themselves because they had so many chances to claim an outright win.

Richards Bay will remain in 15th place but Royal AM will move from 14th to 12th place in the 16-team league.

With grey skies overhead and a drizzle prevailing, the fans from both sides burst into song at the opening whistle. By the sound of things, the fans came well-prepared with drums and instruments and their offerings made for a heady atmosphere.

Hosts Royal AM took the game by the scruff of the neck and were 2-0 up after only seven minutes of play. Mxolisi Macuphu opened the scoring with a deft finish after he was sent clear by Menzi Masuku.

Another attacking sortie down the left flank produced Royal AM's second goal, scored by Thabo Matlaba, with a left-footer after a feed by Macuphu.

There was a great response from Richards Bay and for a sustained period they held the initiative but despite a plethora of scoring opportunities, they could not make an impact.

Instead, Royal AM wet further ahead just past the half-hour mark, when Macuphu scored with a cracking volley in mid-air after he latched on to a goalmouth feed from Khulekani Shezi.

Despite their team conceding three goals, the Richards Bay fans ironically turned up the noise and by the time the halftime break dawned, their team had managed to claw their way back into the match with two goals in the final 11 minutes of the first half.

First, Matlaba tried to clear when he and his fellow defenders were tardy to clear a low cross into their penalty box.

next Sanele Barns scored with a superb finish after excellent work by Yamela Mbuthuma, who managed to find his way behind the Royal AM defence.

When second-half play resumed the visiting Richards Bay continued to press and over the next 15 minutes, they looked the likelier to score. Their pressure troubled the opposition defence and after an hour's play, Royal AM had conceded five corners.

Richards Bay were also starting to enjoy greater possession, but the equaliser continued to evade them until the final whistle.

IOL Sport