Rowen joined Chiefs in the period before the start of the 200/2002 season.

He was seen as a deputy to Brian Baloyi, twenty-three years old at the time Rowen could not afford to play bridesmaid, and instead he pushed the former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper to the limit, which eventually lead to Baloyi leaving Chiefs at the end of the 2003/2004 season.

This season proved another challenging one for Rowen as it started off well enough and then he picked up an injury against Bloemfontein Celtic in a league game in September 2005 and was replaced by Emile Baron.

Baron deputized with some excellent performance and it seemed as though Rowen would be on the sidelines for a while. Injury then forced Baron out and Fernandez got his break again. With Emile Baron once again suffering from a recurring injury it seems that at least for this season the goalkeeping merry go round would be halted.

Rowen who earlier this season played his one hundredth game for Chiefs has set his sights on this weekend's ABSA Cup semifinal against Mamelodi Sundowns. He is confident of putting in a match winning performance against the Brazilians.

When questioned about the importance of Saturday’s game Rowen said, “since I was a kid I always loved cup matches especially semifinals because after this game it meant I was in the final. Getting over this mental hurdle called the semifinal has always been a challenge I loved to climb over”.

The almost veteran Fernandez is aware that there can be no room for error against Sundowns as the ABSA Cup presents the final opportunity for Chiefs to win silverware in 2005-2006.

Fernandez adds, "I know I need to put in a big performance on Saturday and at the moment I feel strong, motivated and confident that I can help play a big part in winning the game”.

Fernandez has also prepared for the eventuality of the dreaded shoot out although he would prefer to see off Sundowns in regulation time, “a handful of games between us and them have gone to penalty kicks and I will prepare for that eventuality although we want to be home before seven pm,” said Rowen.

Rowen is not new to playing in pressure situations and was in goal the last time Chiefs defeated the Brazilians by three goals to one, which was in the last 32 stage of the 2003/2004 ABSA Cup. That time around like now Chiefs enter the game with the odds stacked against them and history has shown Chiefs perform best as underdogs.

The much awaited and anticipated semifinal between Amakhosi and Brazilians will take place this Saturday at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace in Rustenburg; tickets for the game are R 20 and are currently on sale at computicket and Checkers outlets countrywide.