Posted in News on Sep 18, 2007.
When Chiefs and Ajax step out on the Vodacom Loftus pitch it will be an emotional occasion for Ertugral. Once the necessary hand shakes with his opposite numbers are out of the way, the Chiefs coach will be focused on plotting the downfall of the team he helped build. He will be perfectly placed to do so as he knows his former charges all too well and will be well aware about their strengths and weaknesses.
Over the month that the 2007 – 2008 season has been underway, Chiefs have perhaps been one of the most entertaining teams to watch, and even though they have won just one of their four league outings thus far, The Amakhosi have been by far the more dominant force in all of their matches that they have played.
Ertugral will be looking for Chiefs to turn that dominance into goals which will ultimately mean that The Amakhosi begin to bring home the points. He is aware that it won’t be an easy outing against a Ajax team who come into this game on the back of a win over Jomo Cosmos. The Chiefs coach though does feel that with his in depth knowledge of the Urban Warriors he will be able to put one over his old team, it waits to be seen if he can achieve this.
The history
After the amalgamation of Cape Town Spurs and Silver Stars at the start of the 1999 – 2000 season Ajax Cape Town was born. Amongst Ertugral’s first matches in charge of Chiefs back in 1999, The Amakhosi hosted Ajax at the Johannesburg Stadium. In the first ever meeting between the two teams, it was the Capetonians who ran out the winners as they won the game 2-1, by the time Doctor Khumalo got himself spectacularly amongst the scorers late in the game Ajax were already leading 2-0.
Ajax prided themselves for a time as being Chiefs nemesis and it would take The Amakhosi till the latter part of the 2001 – 2002 season for Chiefs to record their first ever league victory over Ajax, and when it came it was an emphatic 3-1 win for the Amakhosi with Rene Richards, Patrick Mabedi and Stanton Fredericks grabbing the goals.
Indeed, Chiefs have reversed the roles and have become some thing of Ajax’s nemesis as it has been six years since the Urban Warriors last tasted victory in a league game over Chiefs. The Amakhosi recorded their first win away from home against the Capetonians during the 2002 – 2003 when Stanton Fredericks and Kabamba Musasa found the back of the net for The Amakhosi in a 2-0 Chiefs victory.
Last season's encounters between the teams saw Ajax shift their home tie in September 2006 from Cape Town to Kimberley, Rowen Fernandez proved to be the difference between the two sides as he made a number of important saves which included stopping an Ajax penalty as the teams ended goalless.
In the return match in January this year in what at the time was a top of the table clash, Siyabonga Nkosi got the only goal of the game, a win which pushed Chiefs to the top of the PSL standings albeit briefly.
Look out for
Siphiwe Tshabalala has been a revelation on the left side of midfield for Chiefs in their past two league outings. The Bafana Bafana player has been used to good effect and has masterminded Chiefs most dangerous moves during their last two league outings.
An on form Tshabalala spells danger for the opposition who will now be looking at him more carefully and will go to great lengths to stop him. Such is Tshabalala’s skill and trickery that he seems to enjoy playing a cat and mouse game with the opposition.
Once more expect him to lead Chiefs charge for the three points.
Playing in midfield with Tshabalala on the opposite end of the park on the right wing is David Mathebula. Against SuperSport the dynamic midfield duo added balance to Chiefs on the flanks and launched tirade after tirade on the opposition goal from the wings, they seemed to compliment each other well. Mathebula though has to wait for the results of an x-ray to be done on his ankle which he injured late in the game on Sunday, to see whether or not he is able to play against Ajax, even so the man who replaced him during the SuperSport game Thuso Phala did a sterling job on the right side of midfield.
Ajax’s most obvious threat will come in the form of Thembinkosi Terror Fanteni a player who found his form last season when Ertugral was his coach at Ajax. He has demonstrated his ability to get behind the defenders and can find a sniff of goal as he moves on undetected into the opposition danger area. Fanteni was unlucky not have found his name on the score sheet during his teams win over Cosmos.
During Chiefs last three league outings the player who has shone for the opposition and withstood assault after assault from the Chiefs strikers has been their goalkeeper, Avril Phali, Moeneeb Josephs and Dennis Onyango seemed to be the hero for Cosmos, Wits and SuperSport respectively.
Expect things to be no different on Saturday as Hans Vonk the Ajax keeper might well want to keep up the status quo. In order for Chiefs to come home with the three points they will need to find a way past Ajax’s last line of defense.
The former Bafana Bafana keeper will do his best to try and prevent the likes of Kaizer Motaung Junior and Shaun Bartlett from finding a way past him.
Results Chiefs Vs Ajax during 2006 – 2007 season
1ST Round League, 17th September 2006
Ajax Cape Town 0 Kaizer Chiefs 0
ABSA Park Kimberley
Kick-Off: 15h30
Line Up’s:
Ajax Cape Town: 1. H. Vonk, 4. D. Isaacs, 2. N. Allie, 25. B. Evans, 13. B. Dikulu, 28. G. Mofokeng, 20. B. Moon, 10. B. Carelse (15. Siwahla 46 min), 5. C. Ngobeni (24. Cale 52 min), 6. M. Shumana, 9. N. Paulse
Substitutes: 15. M. Siwahla, 7. N. Shabalala, 11. C. Kostis, 24. F. Cale, 29. T. Fanteni, 19. R. Mwafulirwa
Kaizer Chiefs: 1. R. Fernandez, 2. J. Tau, 44. S. Mkhonza, 28. D. Spencer, 21. P. Mayo, 8. T. Nengomasha, 18. A. Zwane (11. Ngobese 73 min), 10. S. Nkosi, 33. D. Mototo (24. Mathebula 46 min), 7. K. Motaung Jnr, 17. S. Bartlett
Substitutes: 16. R. Wuest, 4. C. Nzama, 12. T. Mooki, 11. E. Ngobese, 6. F. McCarthy, 20. L. Agyemang, 24. D. Mathebula
Cautions:
Ajax Cape Town: 19. Russell Mwafulirwa 81 min for dissent on bench, 15. Mkhanyiseli Siwahla 82 min
Kaizer Chiefs, Yellow Cards: 8 Tinashe Nengomasha 40 min
Officials:
Referee: Lwandile Mfiki
Assistant 1: Mzimkhulu Chalambisa
Assistant2: Lindikhaya Bolo
Fourth Official: Everest Rasoeu
Match Commissioner: Adeal Carelse
2nd Round League
27th January 2007
Kaizer Chiefs 1 (10. Nkosi 32 min) Ajax Cape Town 0
Vodacom Loftus Stadium, Tshwane
Kick Off: 20h10
Kaizer Chiefs:
1. R. Fernandez, 4. C. Nzama, 2. J. Tau, 21. P. Mayo, 33. D. Mototo, 27. G. Sibeko, 8. T. Nengomasha, 11. E. Ngobese, 10. S. Nkosi, 22. R. Kilambe (13. Obua 90+ min), 7. K. Motaung Junior (31. Radebe 61 min)
Substitutes:
16. R. Wuest, 18. A. Zwane, 28. D. Spencer, 31. D. Radebe, 13. D. Obua, 24. D. Mathebula
Ajax Cape Town:
1. H. Vonk, 20. B. Moon, 13. S. Dikulu, 25. B. Evans, 28. C. Jagers, 19. R. Mwafulirwa (15. Siwahla 52 min), 29. T. Fanteni, 5. C. Ngobeni, 10. B. Carlese, 12. G. Scott (24. Cale 46 min), 6. M. Shumana (9. Paulse 63 min)
Substitutes:
18. C. Woodington, 9. N. Paulse, 24. F. Cale, 27. T. Tshinyama, 11. D. Claasen, 16. A. Petim, 15. M. Siwahla,
Cautions: Kaizer Chiefs, Yellow: Rotson Kilambe
Ajax Cape Town, Yellow Cards, Brett Evans 55 minutes
Officials
Referee: Thabo Nkosi
Assistant 1: Mantuse Nayo
Assistant 2: Shaheen Salot
4th Official: Paulo Marques
Match Commissioner: Robert Pillay
Results Kaizer Chiefs Vs Ajax Cape Town since 1999 – 2000
1999 – 2000
Kaizer Chiefs 1 (Khumalo) Ajax Cape Town 2
Ajax Cape Town 1 Kaizer Chiefs 0
2000-2001
Kaizer Chiefs 0 Ajax Cape Town 0
Ajax Cape Town 3 Kaizer Chiefs 2 (Nomvete, Illodigwe)
2001-2002
Ajax Cape Town 2 Kaizer Chiefs 1 (Sithole)
Kaizer Chiefs 3 (Richards, Mabedi pen, Fredericks) Ajax Cape Town 1
2002-2003
Kaizer Chiefs 1 (Fredericks) Ajax Cape Town 1
Ajax Cape Town 0 Kaizer Chiefs 2 (Fredericks, Musasa)
2003-2004
Kaizer Chiefs 1 (Dlamini) Ajax Cape Town 0
Ajax Cape Town 0 Kaizer Chiefs 0
2004-2005
Kaizer Chiefs 2 (Zwane x2) Ajax Cape Town 2
Ajax Cape Town 1 Kaizer Chiefs 2 (Mbesuma, Radebe)
2005-2006
Kaizer Chiefs 0 Ajax Cape Town 0
Ajax Cape Town 2 Kaizer Chiefs 2 (Nzama, Mototo)
2006 – 2007
Ajax Cape Town 0 Kaizer Chiefs 0
Kaizer Chiefs 1 (Nkosi) Ajax Cape Town 0
