Aden McCarthy Shines With Back-To-Back Awards As Kaizer Chiefs Tighten Defence

Kaizer Chiefs’ central defender Aden McCarthy is relishing a strong start to the Betway Premiership season after racking up back-to-back Player of the Match awards.

McCarthy put in an outstanding shift when Chiefs beat Stellenbosch 2-0 in the opening league game of the season at Athlone Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The 22-year-old was again recognised as the standout performer when Amakhosi beat Polokwane City 1-0 at home, at FNB Stadium, on Wednesday night.

McCarthy Following In His Father’s Footsteps

The son of Amakhosi legend Fabian McCarthy is clearly following in the footsteps of his father, who played for the club between 2003 and 2008.

His assistant coach at Chiefs, Cedric Kaze, also believes McCarthy is destined for bigger and better things as long as he remains grounded and continues to work hard.

“I would say that the one who’s handing out the Man of the Match awards is making our lives difficult,” Kaze said jokingly.

“He’s going to think he’s entitled to win the award in every game. But then again, that’s good for him.

“He’s a very nice kid. He’s very professional in the way he conducts himself on and off the field. The thing I can say about him is that he listens a lot.”

Kaze also credited McCarthy’s growth to the good company he keeps at the club, both on and off the pitch.

“He’s always with Zitha [Kwinika] and [Inacio] Miguel, and those are the type of players who can help him,” Kaze explained.

“So, I’m pretty sure that without injuries, he’ll go very far in his career. He’s a player with so much quality in his arsenal.”

McCarthy’s Solid Outings Already Helping Chiefs

The early signs of maturity McCarthy has shown have already aided Chiefs’ improvement this season, especially after the team kept back-to-back clean sheets.

Chiefs were among the teams with a poor defensive record in the league last season, having conceded 39 goals and scored only 13.

With the team on an upward trajectory from the outset, Kaze said it was important to reflect on last season’s poor league form.

“Whether you like it or not, you have to look at your past experiences and try to improve things,” Kaze said. “It’s true that we conceded a lot of goals last season.

“We conceded a lot from rebounds and set-pieces. Those are things we worked on tactically, technically, and psychologically as well.

“We needed to involve everyone. We felt that last season our goalkeepers and backline were exposed and left alone to deal with those issues.

So, everyone needs to take responsibility—from the strikers right through to the goalkeepers.”

Chiefs Shouldn’t Be Complacent After The Break

With Chiefs having failed to qualify for the MTN8 this season after finishing ninth on the log, they will not be in action this weekend.

Their next match is on August 19, when they face Richards Bay at FNB Stadium.

The Chiefs technical team will hope that McCarthy and company continue to be solid in defence, as that will be the only way they can mount a serious challenge for silverware this season.

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