With the start of the regular football season scheduled to get underway on Saturday, March 1, the two teams will be looking to give their players some much needed match time.
Ray Cloete recently took over as the first team coach at Old Bens and is hoping that his players will benefit from a competitive match-up, while improving their fitness levels at the same time.
“We hope to give everyone a run and just see how it goes and where we stand at the moment,” he said.
Flavio Mariuzzi, first team coach at Benoni Northerns, played down the rivalry, saying that the team is just looking forward to the derby.
“We are very excited to play against them and their new coach,” he commented.
He added that things are looking good for the senior teams at Northerns, with record numbers turning out for senior practise.
“There is also a nice injection of players from previous years that have returned,” he said.
The first team match will kick off at 8.30pm, with a second team match prior to that, at 7pm.
