Bidvest Wits F.C.

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Bidvest Wits
Bidvest Wits logo.svg
Full name Bidvest Wits Football Club
Nickname(s) The Clever Boys, The Students
Founded 1921
Ground Bidvest Stadium, Johannesburg
Ground Capacity 5,000
Chairman Alfred Da Costa
Coach South Africa Gavin Hunt
League ABSA Premiership
2013-14 ABSA Premiership, 3rd

Bidvest Wits Football Club, not to be confused with Wits University Football Club, is a South African football club based in the Braamfontein suburb of the city of Johannesburg that currently plays in the Premier Soccer League. It is nicknamed "The Clever Boys" or "The Students" because of the close affiliation with the University of the Witwatersrand.

History

The club has its roots at Wits University in Johannesburg, where it was formed in 1921 by the university's Students Representatives Council. The club competed in a variety of tournaments and leagues before eventually winning promotion to the National Football League in 1975 - then South Africa's top domestic league.

During the 1970s the club produced some of South Africa's finest players - amongst them goalkeeper Gary Bailey, who went on to play for Manchester United and England and defender Richard Gough, who later played for Rangers, Everton and Scotland.

The club won their first major title in 1978 - winning the Mainstay Cup after beating Kaizer Chiefs in the final of the competition. Six years later they picked up the BP Top 8, and a year later in 1985 they again beat Chiefs, this time in the final of the JPS Knockout Cup. The club finished 6th in the inaugural NSL season in 1985 while Scottish striker Frank McGrellis was crowned the league's top scorer with a total of 29 league and cup goals.

The 1990s saw mixed fortunes for the team. They won two trophies, the BP Top 8 and the Coca-Cola Cup in 1995 under coach John Lathan. But a year later they dropped dangerously close to being relegated from the newly formed Premier Soccer League - only surviving thanks to a spirited win on the final day of the season against Jomo Cosmos.

Mid-table finishes followed in 1997 and 1998 before the club finished sixth in 1999-00 - helped largely by the inspirational form of centre back Peter Gordon, who played over 400 times for the club and won caps for Bafana Bafana (the South African National Team), and Sam Magalefa who finished as the club's top goalscorer.

In 2000-01 the club finished a disappointing 13th under new Scottish coach Jim Bone. A year later former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Roger De Sa was appointed head coach, and he immediately restored order with the club finishing 7th in the PSL in 2002, thanks to a 3-1 victory on the final day of the season over Orlando Pirates.

Under De Sa's reign things appeared to be looking up for Wits, with the club securing third placed finishes in the PSL in 2003 and again in 2004. But in 2005 things took a turn for the worse, as De Sa's ultra-defensive tactics, coupled with a mass player exodus at the start of the season, saw the side score just 24 goals in 30 league matches to finish bottom of the league.

At the start of the 2005-06 season, former Santos Cape Town and Maritzburg United coach Boebie Solomons was appointed as head coach, and Solomons' first season in charge brought a return to the PSL for the Clever Boys, with the club comfortably winning the Mvela Golden League (the second tier of South African football) after starting the season with six successive victories.

In June 2007 Roger De Sa rejoined the club after a two-year absence. He replaced caretaker Eric Tinkler who succeeded Boebie Solomons during the 2006-07 season.

In 2010 Wits managed to win the Nedbank Cup defeating AmaZulu in the final.

Achievements

  • Nedbank Cup Champions 1978, 2009–10
  • Telkom Knockout Winners 1985, 1995
  • MTN 8 Winners 1984, 1995
  • Mvela Golden League Champions 2005-06

Performance in CAF competitions

2004 - First Round
2011 - First Round
2015 - Preliminary Round

Notable former coaches

Club records

Source:[1]

Premier Soccer League record

Club officials/Technical team

  • Chairman: South Africa Alfred Da Costa
  • CEO: South Africa Jose Ferreira
  • COO: South Africa Jonathan Schloss
  • General manager: South Africa George Mogotsi
  • Team manager: South Africa Roy Limongelli
  • Coach: South Africa Gavin Hunt
  • Assistant coach: South Africa Paul Johnstone
  • Assistant & goalkeeper coach: South Africa Andre Arendse

Source:[2]

First team squad

As of 23 September 2015

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
2 South Africa DF Nazeer Allie
3 South Africa DF Thulani Hlatshwayo
5 South Africa DF Markus Lecki
6 Namibia MF Wangu Gome
7 South Africa MF Daine Klate
8 Malawi MF Gerald Phiri Junior
9 New Zealand FW Kris Bright
10 South Africa MF Sibusiso Vilakazi (Captain)
11 Mozambique FW Domingues
12 South Africa MF Vincent Pule
14 South Africa MF Keaghan Jacobs
15 South Africa DF Buhle Mkhwanazi
16 South Africa GK Moeneeb Josephs
17 Burundi MF Faty Papy
19 Namibia FW Henrico Botes
20 South Africa MF Siyabonga Nhlapo
21 South Africa FW Thulane Ngcepe
22 South Africa MF Jabulani Shongwe
No. Position Player
24 Zimbabwe DF Onismor Bhasera
25 South Africa FW Calvin Kadi
27 South Africa MF Phakamani Mahlambi
29 South Africa MF Dillon Sheppard
30 South Africa MF Ben Motshwari
31 Portugal FW Jucie Lupeta
33 South Africa MF Yussuf Jappie
36 South Africa GK Jethren Barr
37 South Africa FW Lucky Setelele
38 South Africa DF Tebogo Moerane
39 South Africa FW Nkosinathi Sibeko
40 South Africa MF Tshidiso Monamodi
41 South Africa MF Phumlani Ntshangase
42 South Africa DF Saki Ncwadi
43 South Africa MF Siyabulela Mose
45 South Africa MF Somila Ntsundwana
47 South Africa GK Thakasani Mbanjwa
South Africa DF Bongani Khumalo

On loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
No. Position Player

Foreigners

In the South African PSL, only five non-South African nationals can be registered. Foreign players who have acquired permanent residency can be registered as locals.

Shirt sponsor & kit manufacturer

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Kickoff PSL Yearbook 2013/2014, p. 18.

External links

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