30 July 2019 – Former Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana defender Fabian McCarthy has backed his home Province, the North West, to go all the way in challenging to win this year’s SAFA/SAB U21 League National Championship currently taking place in Mahikeng.

This comes after a solid display the host Province put on show in their first Group A match, subjecting the Eastern Cape to a convincing 3-0 defeat.

McCarthy, who grew up in Vryburg, a town which is 160Kms away from Mahikeng, said the host Province possessed enough quality and grit in their play, which can see them going all the way to winning this title in front of their home crowd.

In 2014, however, the North West province missed out on such an opportunity. They lost to eventual winners, Free State, in the final.

McCarthy, though, reckons this could be North West’s year.

“I was here doing live commentary for a particular station which covers the final that very year,” McCarthy said. “It was a jam-packed stadium and it was quite unfortunate that (his home Province) lost in front of their home fans.

“However, I believe that the coaching staff, management and the players must not put unnecessary pressure on themselves. They just need to take it one game at a time and everything will work itself out. They have got a quality squad.

“Who knows, this might be the year where this trophy remains here in the Province.”

Mccarthy also heaped praise of the standard of football in this year’s SAFA/SAB U21 League National Championship edition, adding that he has seen some players who possess the right amount of talent to make it into top flight football.

“I have seen some very good players here who impressed me a lot,” McCarthy said. “Some of them even have the potential of breaking into our junior national team structures provided if they are given a chance.

“Each team in this tournament has one or two players who have a potential into making it professionally. I am truly impressed with what I have seen here.”

Day Two Fixtures:
Gauteng vs KwaZulu-Natal (10h00)
Northern Cape vs Free State (10h00)
USSA vs North West (12h00)
Limpopo vs Eastern Cape (12h00)
Free State vs Western Cape (15h00)
KwaZulu-Natal vs Northern Cape (15h00)

Day One Results:

North West 3 vs Eastern Cape 0

USSA 1 vs Mpumalanga 3

Western Cape 1 vs Northern Cape 1

Free State 0 vs Gauteng 2

Mpumalanga 1 vs Limpopo 1

Eastern Cape 1 vs USSA 1