Clarewood JPM captain Mario Booysen has described the season thus far as a typical “roller coaster”, adding “that they can only control what they can control.”
“We should have picked up points in certain matches but we didn’t and shot ourselves in the foot in this regard,” Booysen told No Bones with Jones. “But that is football at the end of the day and mind you, this league is also quite like a skop, -skiet en -donner-league and not completely and totally structured in my view.
“Look for instance, the league structure that is more like a mini tournament … so there is little room for error, you know. Any team can beat anyone on the day,” the former Kaizer Chiefs and Maritzburg United defender added.
Despite their topsy-turvy campaign thus far for the Wynberg-based outfit, the ‘Manchester City’ of the ABC Motsepe League in the Western Cape as Clarewood is referred to for obvious reasons, is now deemed firm favourites to win their Stream (B).
Clarewood (30 points) are now only one point behind the log leaders Grassy Park United following the latters surprising 0-0 draw against Zizwe United on Saturday while Clarewood, who played a game less than Grassy Park, got the better of Hout Bay United FC by 2-1 putting them in a commanding position to win the Stream.
GP face Oriented Birds in their final game of the season while Clarewood has to navigate the Maties FC and Cape Town Spurs in their remaining two games.
Maximum points will definitely hand the honours to coach Dylan Deane where they will face coach Arreshaat Daniels’ FN Rangers who have been declared winners of their Stream (A) with two games to go.
The 35-year-old Bonteheuwel-born Booysen emphasized that they are not too focussed on any other team and the situation around them as playing for Clarewood comes with its own pressure already.
“I think it is the kind of team that we are and the players that we have, but I don’t know if I can put it that way now,” he further stated. “But it is the calibre of players that we have and I think every team that comes up against us wants to beat us and prove a point. I don’t know if it makes sense, but that is just what I have picked up.
“I think that is also one of the reasons why we had a roller coaster of a season as the (weaker) teams tend to play their best football against us. But look, we run our own race and control what we can so we are not looking at any other team. We have two more games and the objective is to win both,” Booysen concluded.
Weekends results:
Stream A:
Ukhanya United 1, Royal Blues 2
Santos FC 2, Hanover Park FC 1
Ubuntu FC 5, Junction Rovers 3
Young Bafana 1, FN Rangers 3
Stream B:
Grassy Park United 0, Zizwe United 0
Oriented Birds 1, Batalions FC 1
Maties FC 2, Cape Town Spurs 0
Hout Bay United FC 1, Clarewood JPM 2
