Benni McCarthy wasn’t expecting a title push from Cape Town City this season, but they’ve found themselves in one regardless, and he’s singled out one player for the role he’s played.
City are currently just four points off league leaders, Mamelodi Sundowns, with seven games left to play, and will consider themselves as dark horses in a title race that has had more twists and turns than a labyrinth.
This weekend they host fellow title outsiders, Polokwane City, in Cape Town, and the former Bafana Bafana international says the fact that they’re so high up the table with so few games remaining is a shock.
Speaking to Soccer Laduma at the launch of PepsiMax’s Win Like A Baller campaign last night, the City head coach admitted that he didn’t foresee a title challenge this season, saying, “I didn’t expect that we were going to be so in the mix as we are now, instead of being maybe fifth or sixth, pushing around for fourth place if we were lucky. This is a bit unexpected.”
McCarthy was also full of praise for the players that have come in to replace the injured Roland Putsche and Thabo Nodada, singling one player out in particular for his efforts in the hear of the Citizens midfield.
He said, “I think our work ethic has been second to none, but I never expected to lose a Roland and a Thabo – that’s the spine of my team – and they like to press teams. I lost (Ayanda) Patosi as well. But then we got Mokeke and he’s been a marvel. I was chasing this player for a good while now, and now I’ve got him, I know why I’ve been so desperate. He’s been sensational, and slotted in fantastically.”
Mokeke has played 11 games for City since coming into the side earlier this year and has played a big role in helping them put together a run of form that has seen them win eight of the games that he’s been involved in.
