Wits happy to play tie at their compact stadium

It constitutes a potential 30 000 crowd attraction, but Bidvest Wits have no qualms about sticking to their compact 6 000-seater for the intriguing Telkom Cup semifinal against Kaizer Chiefs.

“Winning is the overriding criterion,” says Wits CEO Jose Ferreira, “and we believe our prospects are best served by playing the semifinal at our home ground as the draw dictated”.

And adding, no doubt, to the urgency with which Wits are approaching the Telkom Cup event is the fact that the Premiership champions are currently perched in an uncomfortable second bottom position and are seeking a morale-boosting success to emerge from their rut.

“Tickets for the game next Saturday afternoon are already on sale,” says Ferreira, “and will doubtless be sold out long before kick-off.

“And this means any fan without an admission ticket should not bother to come to the ground on the day of the match.”

But with Chiefs also seeking to end a relatively lengthy drought period of PSL honours, the atmosphere from a limited, but a jampacked crowd is sure to create an electric atmosphere.

As for Wits’ slump this season, Ferreira said a victory in what has become a traditional rivalry against Chiefs would be an ideal occasion to turn the tide of the season for the Students.

“We did everything within our means to continue last season’s success,” added Ferreira, “and it’s difficult to put a finger on why results have gone haywire.”