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/ 17 September 2004

The 17-year itch

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Unbelievable as it may seem, the last time that Moroka Swallows met Kaizer Chiefs in a major cup competition was 17 years ago, when Chiefs won 3-1 on aggregate in the two-legged final of the Ohlssons Cup.

The first leg (won 2-1 by Chiefs) was at Kings Park in Durban. Those who were there in 1987 say that game was the most memorable match played between the two sides, and the two legs are said to have recorded the biggest aggregate crowd in South African football history — 130 000 people. The Kings Park complex is also the venue for Sunday’s showdown between these two Soweto giants in the semifinal of the Supa 8.

But this time it is sudden death — there is no cushion of a second leg — and both coaches have promised supporters a thrill-a-minute humdinger of a game.

Ted Dumitru of Chiefs promised it will be ‘the most exciting match this season”.

His counterpart at Swallows, Gavin Hunt, said: ‘We are playing against a powerhouse, the kings of South African soccer, and I have failed to beat them for the past three years. But anything can happen on the day.”

The clever money will be on Chiefs as they are at the top of their game with three wins and nine goals from their three league games so far this season. Striker Collins ‘Ntofo Ntofo” Mbesuma, who netted a great goal against Silver Stars last weekend, will be looking to continue his scoring spree.

Swallows will be counting on Lungisani Ndlela and Edzai Kasinauyo to deliver them into the final. 

In the other semifinal, in Rustenburg on Saturday, Supersport United take on the Clever Boys, Wits University, who specialise in dethroning the favourites in cup competitions.

Both teams go into the game on the back of demoralising 2-0 defeats, and the team quickest to recover will win on the day.

United have the added pressure of being expected to win some sort of silverware this season after five years without a trophy. Saturday will be United’s first semifinal since 1999.

Club PRO David Skosana said expectations from supporters and management were high. ‘It is not going to be easy, but the belief is that we must win the game. Something must be put in our barren trophy cabinet.”