Can Benni outfox Sundowns?
SAGE STEPHENS has taken full advantage of his opportunity and, for now, he’s enjoying the elevation as Cape Town City’s No 1 goalkeeper.
When City host Mamelodi Sundowns in a PSL fixture at the Athlone Stadium this evening (8pm kickoff), Stephens will again be crucial between the sticks if the Capetonians are to come away with a positive result.
“I’ve been very happy with my form,” said Stephens. “But not just that, I think the team, as a whole, has done well. We had a dip early on in the season, but we’re over that, and have done extremely well recently.”
Benni McCarthy may be new to this coaching game – but, if there’s one thing even the more experienced of his counterparts can take from his debut season in charge of City, then it’s his eye for talent and his willingness to provide opportunities for players languishing in the lower divisions.
Enough has already been said about the rise of Taariq Fielies and Craig Martin, the local Cape duo McCarthy plucked from obscurity and placed on a path to PSL stardom. But, while their performances may have hogged the spotlight, another teammate has quietly gone about his business just as efficiently – goalkeeper Stephens.
Stephens was playing for AmaZulu in the NFD when City offered him a PSL lifeline. A solid and reliable performer, McCarthy quickly roped the keeper in this season, and the player has never looked back. He has been one of the more consistent performers for the Cape club this season.
They say ability counts for nothing without opportunity – and, in Stephens’ case, it was again a case of McCarthy trusting and believing in his squad members. Despite City having experienced veteran Shu-Aib Walters in goal, the coach had no hesitation in handing 26-year-old Stephens his chance – and the clean sheets have flowed.
“Look, Sundowns will be a big, big game (tonight),” said Stephens. “It’s number one versus number two – and we all know how good Sundowns are. With their squad, they could probably field two teams in the PSL and both will do well.
“It’s a huge game … We beat them in the first round and I think that game was probably our best performance this season. If we are to repeat the result, we are going to have to work very hard for 90 minutes. It won’t be easy, but, if we put in the effort, we can do it.”
With City perched in a lofty second position on the PSL standings, questions of course abound on whether they have it within them to win the title. Stephens stressed , though, that nobody at the Cape club is even thinking about a possible league challenge. They don’t want to get too far ahead of themselves.
“We are just taking things game by game,” said Stephens. “We are not focused on challenging for the title.
“The idea is just to be consistent, to not concede goals, to be tidy at the back, to always give ourselves a chance of winning games, and then, towards the end of the season, we’ll see where we are. Importantly, we do not want to put pressure on ourselves and get side-tracked by thinking of a title challenge.”