Wits University FC

Football club infobox
clubname = Bidvest Wits


fullname = Bidvest Wits University Football Club
nickname = "The Clever Boys, The Students"
founded = 1921
ground = Bidvest Stadium, Johannesburg
capacity = 5,000
chairman = Cyril Ramaphosa
manager = flagicon|South Africa Roger De Sa
shirtsupplier = Hummel
shirtsponsors = Bidvest
league = ABSA Premiership
season = 2007-08
position = ABSA Premiership, 12th
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Wits University Football Club, known under their sponsored title as Bidvest Wits, is a South African football team, founded in 1921. The club plays in the Premier Soccer League after securing promotion to the country's top flight on April 2 2006 with a 3-0 league victory over PJ Stars. The victory gave the side an unassailable eleven point lead at the top of the Mvela log, with only three games left to play in the season.

The team is nicknamed 'The Clever Boys' or 'The Students' because of the club's 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 South African 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 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 striker 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 06/07 season.

Achievements

*Mvela Golden League Champions 2005/06
*Coca-Cola Winners 1995
*JPS Cup Winners 1985
*BP Top 8 Cup Winners 1984, 95
*Mainstay Cup Winners 1978

Notable former players

*Gary Bailey - Manchester United and England goalkeeper.
*Richard Gough - Rangers, Everton and Scotland defender.
*Frank McGrellis - Striker, formerly of Coventry City and Hereford United.
*Zoran Ilic - Bafana Bafana midfielder.
*Eric Tinkler - Barnsley and Bafana Bafana midfielder. 1996 African Nations Cup winner.
*Zane Moosa - Bafana Bafana defender.
*Kevin Rafferty - Bafana Bafana defender.
*Lovers Mohlala - Aris Salonika and Bafana Bafana defender.
*Peter Gordon - Bafana Bafana defender.
*Bradley Carnell - Karlsruhe, Monchengladbach, Stuttgart and Bafana Bafana defender.
*Ashley Makhanya - Bafana Bafana defender.
*Rowen Fernandez - Arminia Bielefeld, Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana goalkeeper.
*Josta Dladla - AGF Aarhus, Sundowns and Bafana Bafana midfielder.
*Tony Coyle - FC Rostov and Bafana Bafana defender.
*Neil Winstanley - Sundowns and Bafana Bafana defender.
*Benson Mhlongo - Sundowns and Bafana Bafana midfielder.
*Tsietsi Mahoa - Supersport United and Bafana Bafana defender.
*Stanton Fredericks - FC Moscow and Bafana Bafana midfielder.
*Gert Schalkwyk - Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana midfielder.

Other Former Players

*flagicon|England Adam Nichols (1984-??)
*flagicon|SCO Andy Geddes (1984-??) [http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player2/andygeddes.htm]

Former coaches

*Eddie Lewis - Former Manchester United striker.
*Julie Kaplan
*Mike Kenning
*Terry Paine - Former Southampton winger, and England World Cup winner.
*John Lathan
*Jim Bone
*Boebie Solomons

Club records

*Most starts: Peter Gordon 415
*Most goals: Peter Gordon 55
*Most capped player: Charles Yohane (Zimbabwe)
*Most starts in a season: Andy Geddes 46 (1986)
*Most goals in a season: Frank McGrellis 29 (1985)
*Record victory: 14-0 v Cardiff City (16/9/86, Mainstay Cup)
*Record defeat: 1-6 vs Kaizer Chiefs (14/10/90, NSL)

Premier Soccer League record

*2007/2008 - 12th
*2006/2007 - 13th
*2004/2005 - 16th
*2003/2004 - 4th
*2002/2003 - 3rd
*2001/2002 - 7th
*2000/2001 - 13th
*1999/2000 - 6th
*1998/1999 - 11th
*1997/1998 - 8th
*1996/1997 - 12th

Club officials/Technical team

*Chairman: flagicon|South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa
*Team manager: flagicon|South Africa George Mogotsi
*Coach: flagicon|South Africa Roger De Sa
*Assistant coach: flagicon|South Africa Eric Tinkler
*Goalkeeper coach: flagicon|South Africa Alan Marcus

First team squad

"As of February 20 2008" =Foreigners=

In the South African PSL, only five non-South African nationals can be registered. Players with foreign and South African citizenship do not count as foreigners.
*flagicon|Kenya Evans Abongo
*flagicon|Brazil Marcos De Jesus
*flagicon|Brazil Danilo Julio
*flagicon|Mozambique Almiro Lobo
*flagicon|Cameroon Bienvenu Tipa
*flagicon|Namibia flagicon|South Africa Richard Gariseb

External links

* [http://www.bidvestwits.co.za Bidvest Wits Official Website]
* [http://www.psl.co.za Premier Soccer League]
* [http://www.psl.co.za/teams/bidvest_wits/club_information/ PSL Club Info]
* [http://www.safagoal.net South African Football Association]
* [http://cafonline.com Confederation of African Football]