The goalkeeping position is really healthy at Ajax Cape Town at present. It’s for this reason that Jody February doesn’t feel that he has, as yet, cemented his place as the team’s number one.
Ajax host Kaizer Chiefs at the Athlone Stadium on Saturday night (8.15pm kickoff) and February will, no doubt, line up in goal against the Amakhosi.
Athlone, as a venue for the game, was confirmed yesterday morning. Cape Town Stadium is not available because of a music festival and there had, initially, been fears around security because of the venue’s limited 21 000 capacity. Games between Ajax and Chiefs have attracted around 35 000 fans over the last two seasons.
With the game going ahead, there will be a considerable police and security presence - and supporters are urged that, if they do not have a ticket, to stay at home.
February, the 20-year-old goalkeeper from Strandfontein has been in superb form of late, despite Ajax’s inconsistency. The Cape side have not won a match since the league resumed at the beginning of the month, two defeats and a draw. It could perhaps even have been worse but for February (pictured). He’s pulled off some smart saves and he’s certainly one of the rising stars in his position in the PSL.
In the Cape derby two weeks ago, February kept his team in the game when City were on top - and it’s just unfortunate that Ajax couldn’t repay their goalkeeper by finishing off when they had the upper-hand in the second half. In the 1-1 draw with Polokwane City at the weekend, while Ajax were the better side, it was again February who ensured they got the away point when he pulled off an excellent save in the second half.
“While I think I have been doing well recently, the team’s results have been a bit up and down,” said February. “So that is obviously disappointing. But for my first season as a regular in the PSL I’m happy so far, and I’m improving with each and every game.
“The aim is to continue to grow and grow, and try to get better all the time. I cannot be complacent because there are some very good goalkeepers pushing me, and waiting for their opportunity. And it’s not just Brandon (Petersen) and Darren (Johnson), there are some really promising young goalkeepers coming up through the ranks.”
In fact, February is probably ahead of schedule as far as Ajax are concerned. When Finnish goalkeeper Anssi Jaakkola left at the beginning of this season to join Reading in the English Championship, the general opinion was that Brandon Petersen would claim the number one jersey - and he did, for a while. At the time, former coach Roger de Sa’s reasoning was to hand Petersen and February a few games each and then see who emerged the stronger.
Petersen started off the season as the club’s goalkeeper in August last year and, after a few games in, February was given the jersey. Ever since, February has never relinquished the number one spot, even after De Sa quit and Stanley Menzo was appointed as the new coach in October.
February, of course, built up valuable experience when he was part of the South Africa Under-23 squad during the qualification campaign for the Rio Olympics. He emerged as the hero in a penalty shoot-out against Senegal to ensure that SA finished the qualification tournament in third, and qualify for a spot at the Games last year.
But all of that is now in the past, February is just looking forward. He’s young, he’s talented and he’s ambitious. The immediate aim is to make the Ajax number one jersey his own - and, after that, he’ll see. He doesn’t want to get too far ahead of himself. Small steps
And, right now, all he’s focused on is Chiefs on Saturday. “Look, with Chiefs, a player doesn’t need any motivation. It’ll be a big game, there’ll be a big crowd you can even say that this is the type of game that players live for,” February said.