Cape Town City have been in poor form even after relegation. Photos: Cape Town City

Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy must be watching with worry as one of his ex-teams struggle on the pitch having suffered relegation from the South African top flight.

Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy may be among those watching with concern as his ex-team struggles on the pitch even after suffering relegation.

This is following the worrying form of Cape Town City, the club that gave McCarthy his first job as a head coach.

Cape Town City were the surprise club that got relegated from the South African top flight, the Premier Soccer League (PSL) last season, and any hopes of an upturn in form have disappeared so fast.

Now playing in the second tier the National First Division, popularly known as Motsepe Foundation Championship, Cape Town City are yet to win any of their first six matches, leaving them in a worrying 14th position on the 16-team log with just three points, 10 behind leaders Casric Stars who occupy the sole automatic ticket.

𝗖𝗧 𝗖𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗛𝗔𝗩𝗘 𝟭 𝗪𝗜𝗡 𝗜𝗡 𝟮𝟱 𝗚𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗦‼️❌ 0-2 TS Galaxy🔄 1-1 Golden Arrows❌ 0-2 Magesi❌ 0-2 Chippa United❌ 1-2 Orlando Pirates❌ 0-2 AmaZulu🔄 1-1 TS Galaxy🔄 0-0 Kaizer Chiefs❌ 0-1 Marumo Gallants🔄 0-0 SuperSport❌ 1-2 Sekhukhune United❌ 0-1… pic.twitter.com/Q2bd8Ii1Z8

Cape Town City have drawn three and lost as many, the latest being a 1-0 defeat to Leicesterford on Wednesday, and have a tough job on their hands given only the top club will earn a direct promotion to the top flight while the second and third-placed sides will go into a three-team round robin playoff with the side that finishes 15th in the PSL.

This is where Cape Town City will hope to be, if they cannot make it to the top of the table at the end of the season, but the early season form does not inspire confidence of any of that happening at the moment.

In fact, stretching back to last season, Cape Town City have just one win in their last 25 games in all competitions, having lost 13 and drawn 11 over that period.

It is not a run of form that even the most pessimistic of Cape Town City fans expected from the team which McCarthy coached from July 2017 to November 2019 and led to the 2017-18 MTN, their last trophy.