De Jongh inspired to face United

Ex-team just ejected Sundowns in cup

Platinum Stars midfielder Ryan de Jongh believes playing against his former club, Maritzburg United, while they have just knocked Mamelodi Sundowns out of the MTN8, is a motivation.

Dikwena host Maritzburg at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium on Sunday (3pm).

The 27-year-old De Jongh, who spent five years at the Team of Choice, expects Dikwena to catch Maritzburg off guard, citing that the KZNbased side were still in a celebratory mood after they eliminated Sundowns from the MTN8 last weekend.

“We are motivated to play against Maritzburg [United] when they have just beaten Sundowns.

“I think they are still celebrating because knocking a big team out of a cup is a big thing. We will use their situation to our advantage,’’ De Jongh told Sowetan.

“As a player, it is always nice to win against your old team.

“It is a league game and we must be cautious. Playing at home is always nice but we will not focus on that because they [Maritzburg] beat Sundowns away, so their away record is good so far,’’ stated the defensive midfielder.

De Jongh hopes Stars will have one of the best seasons in their history, adding that they aspire to win at least two cups and finish inside the top four under new coach Peter Butler, who replaced Cavin Johnson at the North West-based outfit.