Ajax in high spirits for final
THERE’S a spirit of determination and a fantastic mood of optimism at Ajax Cape Town as they prepare to take on Kaizer Chiefs in the MTN8 final in Port Elizabeth on Saturday (kickoff 3pm).
At the root of this ebullience is the fact that Ajax defeated Polokwane City 2-1 over the weekend to soar to the top of the PSL standings, and that this is their second cup final in the space of a few months. In May, Ajax lost on penalties to Mamelodi Sundowns in the Nedbank Cup final, also in PE.
For the win over Polokwane at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday night, Ajax rested defender Rivaldo Coetzee. He returned from national duty with an ankle injury and was allowed time to rest and recover. In addition, Coetzee is also on three yellow cards – it would have been foolish to risk him getting another against Polokwane and then have him suspended.
“Against Polokwane, we were very good in the opening 15 minutes,” said Ajax assistant coach Ian Taylor. “We pressed them high, passed the ball around well, and scored great goals through Nathan Paulse and Abbubaker Mobara.
“But Polokwane are a team that never gives up, they keep coming at you. They pulled one back and then kept on attacking. As such, we dropped a little deeper…
“We brought on Erwin Isaacs in the second half, who immediately allowed us to keep shape a lot better.”
The win, though, said Taylor, was great for morale ahead of Saturday’s final.
“It takes us top of the PSL and it’s a boost for the squad as we now focus on the cup final,” he said. “Chiefs, though, also come off a great win (4-1 against SuperSport United) and they will have their tails up.
“But for us, for this young squad, it’s a second cup final. After the defeat to Sundowns, they are more than determined to redeem themselves.”