Posted: 2011-12-03 10:08
SuperSport United defender Morgan Gould admits that he is wary of the threat posed by Orlando Pirates striker Benni McCarthy ahead of the clash tonight at the Orlando stadium. The log leaders boost the best defence in the League and notably, they have gone five League matches without conceding a goal, but Gould is well aware the SuperSport defence faces a stern test in trying to keep the Pirates attackers, specifically McCarthy, at bay.
“It will be a huge challenge, my man. That man [Benni] has so much experience that even if you have R40 million you can’t buy his experience! We just need to be alert of him. He is an intelligent person, he sets up people and he’s got everything. If we can overcome him, we will build on the confidence,” he tells KickOff.com.
“All I can say is we gonna try to do all we need to do on the day.”
Gould, who grew up in Orlando, is not in two minds over the kind of team SuperSport will face at the Soweto stadium.
“Pirates is a very good team and well respected. I come from Orlando and we grew up watching football knowing that Pirates is a huge, how would I say, university of football in South Africa,” Gould adds.
Meanwhile, Pirates winger Daine Klate expects his former team to be “aggressive” in their approach but says if need be, Bucs will fight fire with fire.
“It is not gonna matter how we play; obviously we want to play good football, but you have to play ugly sometimes. You can’t always be pretty,” Klate declares.
Tiyani wa ka Mabasa
Stekelenburg: We did not want to play
Posted: 2011-12-01 08:53
Maarten Stekelenberg says Ajax Cape Town had "too much respect" for Orlando Pirates last night. The Urban Warriors lost 1-0, after Thulasizwe Mbuyane's goal in the 5th minute.
"It seems that we had too much respect for the home team," the Dutch coach says. "We walked back, did not press, did not want to play, as least in the first half, and it was during this time that Pirates played well. Maybe their play had more to do with what we did?
"Later we improved and we started playing our normal game and we created chances. We should have got a goal but also Pirates should have got a second one.
"I have to say I am disappointed that we did not take anything out of this game, it would have been nice to take a point back to Cape Town."
Julio Leal, meanwhile, says it was a good game by two good teams, but concedes that Bucs need to score more goals.
"We started very well and controlled the match. We created opportunities but did not finish the first half the way we started," Leal says.
"We started the second half well, but Ajax also improved a lot. The win is good for the team's morale but we need to score many more goals in the League.
"It is also important to keep possession, play the ball and not lose the ball so easily."
Bidvest Wits coach Roger de Sa says history means nothing
De Sa doesn't believe in history
Posted: 2011-11-29 06:46
Bidvest Wits coach Roger de Sa says history does not mean anything in football. It was exactly 16 years ago, in 1995 to be precise, when Orlando Pirates and Bidvest Wits last met in a Cup Final.
It was the same competition but was known then as the Coca-Cola Cup.
Pirates, who were then coached by Mike Makaab, had just won the League Championship in the previous season. They were favourites to win the trophy and no-one ever gave John Lathan and his team a chance.
The Ghost came from all provinces to witness what they expected to be a happy day of their lives.
Bucs could also boast that they single-handedly filled the stadium as the Clever Boys only arrived in two buses. One for the players and technical team while the other was for the university students who were capitalising on a R1l2 package which included a match ticket and transport to and from the stadium. Most of the students were ironically from Pirates and only a few were just football loving students.
Back then the Clever Boys boasted players like Peter Gordon, Lovers Mohlala, Steve Barker and Paul Evans.
Bucs on the other hand boasted the likes of Marks Maponyane, Helman Mkhalele, Mark Fish and Williams Okpara.
As favourites the Soweto giants were under pressure to win even though they were without influential midfielder, John Moeti who was on trial in Turkey.
The nail in Pirates coffin came from a free-kick in the first-half. Set-piece specialist Steve Barker curled a free-kick inside the penalty area where Nigerian Benson Otiti rose the highest to nod home, beating countryman Williams Okpara to put the Clever Boys ahead.
Bucs tried their best to get an equaliser in the second-half, but it was not to be, and it is now history that the Clever Boys lifted the trophy with a 1-0 victory.
Sixteen years down the line the two teams will meet again in the Telkom Knockout Cup Final that takes place at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on December 10.
Will history repeat itself?
"No, I do not believe in history; does he (history) play? It all depends on who will be on form on the day. We may be on form now, but we may not be on form then," says the Clever Boys coach Roger da Sa.
"Orlando Pirates were without Andile Jali in their past two matches but maybe he will play in the Final. For some of our players it will be their first Final (but hopefully not their last, while Pirates have featured in the five Cup Finals in succession.
"We will use Nedbank Cup Final videos from the past to motivate our players."
Wits trophy haul down the years has been lean. The club won their first major title in 1978 - winning the Mainstay Cup after beating Kaizer Chiefs in the final of the competition.
Six years later they picked up the BP Top 8, and a year later, in 1985, they again beat Chiefs, this time in the Final of the JPS Knockout Cup.
In 1995, they won two trophies, the BP Top 8 and the Coca-Cola Cup.
2011/12 Absa Premiership - Match Report
Celtic and Wits end goallessPosted: Nov 30 2011 Bloemfontein Celtic and Bidvest Wits played to a goalless draw at the Seisa Ramabodu Stadium in Bloemfontein on Wednesday night, as both teams appeared to have left their scoring boots at home. Celtic, who were favourites to take all three points from this encounter, allowed Wits more space in the middle of the park and the Students looked like a team on a mission in the first half but went slightly off the boil as the match progressed. The opening 45 minutes saw the visitors playing the much better football as they dominated the possession stakes and passed the ball around nicely. Still, despite them dominating terms on the pitch, their failure to create any clear cut chances on goal left something to be desired. Phunya Sele Sele started with purpose and piled on the pressure and were unlucky not to break the deadlock when Clifford Mulenga’s effort slightly missed the target on ten minutes. At the other end, a back pass by Bevan Fransch was almost intercepted by Sfiso Myeni, but Tignyemb was quick to clear the ball to safety. Myeni was Wits’ main source of inspiration throughout the game and certainly gave the Celtic defence a tough time. Although Mulenga had couple of chances in front of goal he failed to make them count. Just before half time Nthethe miscued the ball and it fell at the feet of Myeni. He fired a powerful drive from a good position but Tignyemb produced a full stretch save to deny him what looked like a sure goal. Two minutes after the break, Myeni found himself with some space on the edge of the box and he unleashed a shot, however, the ball deflected on a Celtic defender before going wide of target with Tignyemb already beaten. Wits continued to attack endlessly but they could not find break the home side’s rock-solid defence – when they finally managed an opening they found Tignyemb in uncompromising mood. Both sides created some decent opportunities towards the closing stages but neither side could not find the back of the net. Their forwards seemed pretty much not on the scoring mood on the night. Substitute Danny Venter had a glorious opportunity to finish the match, but the Klerksdorp-born player shot straight at Murambadoro, with only two minutes left on the clock. He should have done better with that particular effort. |
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