City to look for a home outside Cape Town?

Nemanja Matic says that he only needs to prove a point to his Manchester United colleagues and superiors,

club,” Matic is quoted as saying by The Guardian.

The 29-year-old said he was not concerned about his reception at Stamford Bridge but is wary of losing to the champions as it would give rivals the opportunity to insert themselves into the title race.

“We know we must respect them,” Matic added. “They are a good team, they’re champions and it’s going to be a hard game for us, but we also have

our own qualities.

“The Premier League is difficult... You lose two games and the other teams are there, so it’s important not to lose points, of course, but there’s a long way to go.”

Former Chelsea playmaker Juan Mata was part of the United team that lost 4-0 to Antonio Conte’s side last season but the Spaniard believes the side’s focus is fully on the coming fixture.

“There’s not revenge on my mind. (They are) totally different games, what happened last season, happened last season and now we have to think in the present,” Mata said.

“It’s always a difficult game playing Chelsea away but we will try our best. There is a lot of pressure around the game but obviously we will try to play our best football and come back to Manchester with three points.” – Reuters THE SURFACE at Athlone Stadium, once one of the best in the country, is in an atrocious condition. It’s littered with bare, bumpy patches and, truth be told, it’s just not suitable for top-level PSL football.

The unhealthy state of the Athlone pitch was there for all to see as Cape Town City sneaked a 1-0 win over Free State Stars on Wednesday night – and the Cape side’s coach, Benni McCarthy, was vocal about the alarming deterioration of a ground that holds a special place in the heart of the Mother City’s football followers.

“It was difficult to play on the pitch,” said McCarthy. “The players just couldn’t control the ball. It was bumpy and both teams struggled on the surface.”

The Cape’s water restrictions are in place, but a more accusing finger should be pointed at the over-use of the Athlone ground. The two PSL clubs – City and Ajax Cape Town – prefer to use Cape Town Stadium, but the inconsistency of the availability of the former 2010 World Cup venue is proving to be a stumbling block. So, in addition to City and Ajax having to shift to Athlone, the ground is also being used by the three NFD clubs – Stellenbosch FC, Cape Town All Stars and Ubuntu Cape Town – as well as Second Division outfit Santos. Add to that the fact that the amateur Coke Cup played all its finals – junior and senior – at the venue last month. In short, the pitch is crying out for a rest. But what do the clubs do? Where do they go? What are the alternatives? The ball is in the court of the City of Cape Town.

Already, on Wednesday night, City boss John Comitis, after seeing his team struggle on the surface, said he wasn’t keen on playing at Athlone again. And, if push came to shove, and the Cape Town Stadium wasn’t available, then he would have to take City’s home games elsewhere, even outside of Cape Town.

McCarthy, of course, will remember a time when Athlone was the hub of Cape football, when fans flocked to the ground in numbers in support of local clubs. And, in spite of the state of the pitch on Wednesday, he got a taste of the past from the growing City faithful, who were a raucous presence on the terraces.

“I have to thank the crowd,” said McCarthy. “The way they got behind the team, it felt like you were at a football match. They pushed the guys, the players felt the love, I felt the love… and it felt like the old Athlone days.”

McCarthy enjoyed a stellar career as a player. Initially, the coaching phase of his football journey got off to a successful start too – but he said those achievements paled in comparison to the feeling of relief he experienced after his team won on Wednesday.

After four successive defeats, McCarthy admitted he was feeling the heat and was desperate to get his team back on track. So there was great joy when central defender Taariq Fielies netted a late winner to ensure that City go into the international break in third position on the PSL standings.

“I’m a relieved man,” said McCarthy after the win. “I could feel the rope tighten around my neck – I tell you, I was playing hangman. But more than the result,I was happy with the spirit and desire showed by the guys.

“I told them that we needed to have more desire as a team, and that once we got the desire back, the results would start to come again. I was really happy with the team effort, the players showed grit. We had our backs to the wall – it’s never easy to try to play football after losing four successive games, but we got the desire back and we got the job done.”