Cape Town City will have to do without the suspended defensive duo of Thamsanqa Mkhize and Fasika Idumba for their DStv Premiership encounter against Kaizer Chiefs on Saturday at the FNB Stadium. Kick off is 3pm. On Wednesday, the two started for the Citizens in the goalless draw against Mamelodi Sundowns. However, coach Eric Tinkler will have to tinker with his backline because his two experienced defenders are suspended. A highly-rated 19-year-old right-back, Patrick Fisher, could slot in Mkhize’s place. The Premier Soccer League confirmed the suspension of the two.
Who is Fisher?
Fisher joined City from Cape Town Spurs in July last year after a fine run with the GladAfrica side. The talented youngster was one of the regulars for Spurs in the GladAfrica Championship during the 2020/21 season and is touted for greatness. However, his progress was overshadowed by the team’s disappointing season. He had featured in 16 outings in the second tier when the Citizens snapped him up. 12 of the 16 appearances were starts. He has previously been described as “calm, with a good attitude, the right mentality and very disciplined”.
The Cape Town-born star first sat on the City bench on 3 November 2021 when they won 1-0 over Chippa United in a DStv Premiership encounter. This season, he has made two cameo appearances for the senior team and is seen as an understudy to 33-year-old Mkhize.
He played 45 minutes against SuperSport on 22 December 2021 and then 30 minutes against Maritzburg earlier in April. Should he start against Amakhosi, it will be his first start in City colours in an official match. Fisher turns 20 on October 17. He was born in 2002.
Arthur Zwane wary
City are in third place in the DStv Premiership table with only four matches. They face Chiefs, who have lost the last three games and would want to bounce back to winning ways. The match against Stellenbosch FC spelt the end of Stuart Baxter’s tenure as Amakhosi coach. Arthur Zwane, appointed on an interim basis, has overseen two defeats.
Despite the two suspensions, Zwane is wary of the visitors. “They have an excellent team, solid defence, and are very comfortable on the ball, and the midfielders think, [they] are technically sound. They know when to connect with the forwards. The timing is almost spot-on; you can see they have been together for a while. They play with much aggression; they play with tempo. We anticipate a good game and hope we will be able to grind a result,” Zwane said.
Zwane on Chiefs’ permanent job
Earlier this week, the former Chiefs winger opened up on permanently taking the Amakhosi coaching role, saying he would consider the opportunity if it came. The 48-year-old has been in charge of the team following the sacking of Stuart Baxter this month.
“If the opportunity comes my way, I’ll grab it with both hands because if I want to run away from it, who else must take it,” Zwane said. “Everyone wants to grow; everyone wants to be better. You’ll never be better if you don’t make mistakes; you’ll never be better if you are not in the thick of things.” “As South Africans and as coaches, we need to take responsibility now; that will also help the country.”
