Posted in News on Feb 27, 2006.
The game signalled Rowen Fernandez’s 100th appearance for the Amakhosi since making his debut back in August 2001. Rowen has gone through many ups and downs in fighting for his place in the team as well as fighting off injury to reclaim his number one spot.
In his first three seasons at the club from the 2001-2002 through to the 2003-2004 season Rowen shared the goalkeeping duties with Brian Baloyi. It was Rowen’s good form, and the fight he put up with some brilliant displays to claim the number one spot that eventually saw Brain Baloyi leave Chiefs.
Rowen took over the reigns as Chiefs retained their PSL crown last season, after starting off this season on a high Rowen was out for action for five weeks with an injury, which saw Emile Baron take his place.
With the resumption of the PSL in mid February Rowen was back in favour and recently kept Chiefs fellow title contenders Mamelodi Sundowns at bay in a tough league game at the FNB Stadium as he kept a clean sheet, which lifted Chiefs to an important victory.
As was the case when he rang in his 100th game for the Amakhosi, although he did not have a busy night at the office against Cosmos he did manage to make a handful of important saves which earned Chiefs a valuable point.
For Rowen reaching a hundred games has been a benchmark he would have like to have passed a long time ago as he explains, “it is an honour to finally reach my century, there are many more things on my mind at the moment it is a good feeling to know that you have passed an important milestone in your career.”
What about chasing the record number of appearances by a goalkeeper at Chiefs, the record currently held by Brian Baloyi who was a Chiefs player from 1992 to June 2004 when he left Chiefs to join Sundowns. Brian played 347 games for Chiefs which currently makes him the most capped goalkeeper at the Amakhosi and he is second behind Doctor Khumalo in the all time appearance standings at Chiefs.
"Brian served the club with distinction and he was here for something like twelve years I need to consolidate my place and position once I reach three hundred games I can start thinking about records," says Rowen.
Another Chiefs player close to marking a century of games for the club is defender Fabian McCarthy who currently stands on 98 games, having started ninety five games added with a further three substitute appearances. Fabian should reach his century sometime over the next month, with Chiefs playing four games in the first three weeks of next month.
