Kruger now have a five-point lead at the top of the Motsepe Foundation Championship (MFC) and have won their last four games, with seven wins in their previous nine (D1 L1).
Their remaining four fixtures are all against teams in the bottom five and, given their form and that of their opponents, it seems inconceivable that they will not gain the automatic promotion spot.
They are eight points ahead of Cape Town City and Milford FC, and nine ahead of Casric Stars, who have been their main rivals for top spot. Northern Cape side Hungry Lions are now their only realistic challengers, five points back.
It is a meteoric rise for a club that was only founded in 2023 after purchasing the status of ABC Motsepe League side Caroline FC.
They were promoted to the second tier ahead of the 2024/25 season when they beat Highbury FC in the national play-offs.
The club finished a credible fifth in their maiden campaign in the MFC, only missing out on the play-offs by three points after a disappointing end to the campaign, in which there were reports of late or unpaid salaries. But it laid the platform for their current success.
They are coached by Lesotho-born Abraham Mongoya, who is in his second spell at the club and took over the reins when Vusi Vilakazi left for Chippa United earlier in the campaign.
He had started the season in charge of fellow second-tier side Upington City, but left in October. He was also previously coach of TS Sporting in the 2022/23 campaign.
They have several experienced players in their ranks, including former SuperSport United midfielder Morne Nel, ex-Cape Town City and TS Galaxy full-back Ebrahim Seedat, Benin international goalkeeper Marcel Dandjinou, former Marumo Gallants and AmaZulu forward Celimpilo Ngema, ex-Bafana Bafana defender Tercious Malepe, and former Bloemfontein Celtic and Moroka Swallows defender Wandisile Letlabika.
Their season has been built on strong home form. They are unbeaten on their own patch, with nine wins and four draws in their 13 games, the best record in the division.
Their away record (W6 D3 L4) is not as good, but still the joint best in the second tier with Cape Town City, having managed 21 points.
They have scored 41 goals, the highest in the league, but conceded 31, which is the most of any team in the top eight and the joint sixth-highest in the second tier.
Their combined total of 72 goals for and against is easily the highest in the division, and they obviously live by the adage of ‘we will simply score more than you’ rather than trying to focus on a defensive game plan.
Their remaining four fixtures are away at bottom side Baroka FC on Sunday, at home to second-bottom Black Leopards (May 2), away to Gomora United (May 10), and at home to The Bees (May 17).
The club play their home games at the KaNyamazane Stadium, around a 30-minute drive from Mbombela, where they could be provincial rivals of TS Galaxy in the topflight next season.