Two Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) semi-finalists will be part of the line-up when Stellenbosch Football Club (SFC) progresses through the DSTV Premier League (PSL).
Jayden Adams, Stellenbosch Football Club and Bafana Bafana midfielder, holding his Africa Cup of Nations 3rd place medal on 20 February. PHOTO: Mandisa Maphisa
SFC midfielder Jayden Adams will be part of the game’s line-up, according to the SFC. Meanwhile, Chippa United (Chilli Boys) announced on 26 February that Nigerian goalkeeper Nwabali Stanley would participate in the game at the Danie Craven Stadium on Friday 1 March.
Adams said that his participation in the AFCON tournament marked an important part of his football career.
“AFCON was a nice experience and I learnt a lot from the tournament, being with my teammates as well as playing against some of the experienced players in African football,” Adams told SMF News.
Both SFC and the Chilli Boys have advanced to the last 16 draw of the Nedbank Cup (a domestic cup under PSL), which kicked-off on 23 February. SFC is currently in fourth position on the PSL log having played 16 matches, with the Chilli Boys one match ahead of the hosts, placing them in 12th position , according to the PSL website.
The Stellenbosch Football Club celebrating after their 4-3 triumph against the Pretoria Callies on 23 February. PHOTO: Mandisa Maphisa
Adams received both the bronze medal and the fair play award when he played for Bafana Bafana in AFCON, while Stanley and the Nigeria national team ended the tournament as runners-up.
“I think playing in the African Cup of Nations was a massive and important experience for Jayden as an individual,” said Steve Barker, SFC head coach.
According to the PSL website’s head-to-head stats of the previous 10 matches, both teams have won three times with 4 draws, with the highest score being 2-1 in favour of SFC.
“The match on Friday night will be an interesting one as Jayden plays a key role in the SFC midfield, but it can also be difficult for the SFC strikers to score easily with the AFCON experience of Nwabali. He got the second most clean sheets of all goalkeepers at the competition,” said Sandile Ngema, a committed football supporter.
The match is scheduled to kick-off at 19:30.