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Shane Roberts Thrilled With U23 Experience

Cape Town City midfielder Shane Roberts says it was an amazing experience being a part of the South African under-23 camp during the international break.

Roberts was part of David Notoane’s squad that played two friendlies against Saudi Arabia, and although they failed to win either game, the City midfielder says it was a valuable experience.

Since making his City first team debut against Kaizer Chiefs in 2018, Roberts has gone from strength-to-strength, and in 2019/2020 he became a regular starter at the club.

“My dream was always to represent the country. I felt it was coming but it was just a matter of time. Today I can say I represented my country at u23 level and I’m happy that they included me in the international friendlies,” Roberts said about the experience.

“This was my first camp with the national team and the camp was so good. The boys who have been there before welcomed me and I got good advice from the coach and the assistants.”

“My journey with the boys went well although the time period was short. I got to know them and the type of football they play. It’s very different to what I’m used to but I adapted to it quickly.”

“Both matches went well and they could see the different levels of football we play in South Africa and we could see the level they are at as well. We were supposed to get two clear penalties but obviously we played away in another country so we didn’t expect the decisions to go our way.”

“In the second match we drew 1-1 and we had a lot of chances, we could’ve killed the game in the first half already but it was just not our day. I think everyone was happy with the performances, we all felt like we learnt from our mistakes therefore I’ll still be working hard for the Olympics that’s coming in next year.”

Roberts returned from Saudi Arabia and immediately began to prepare for City’s DSTV Premiership game against Bloemfontein Celtic on Saturday.

“Being back home is always fantastic. Like they say there’s no place like home and I’m happy to be back at training with the boys and we are preparing for our match against Celtic the weekend.”

“So we as City should stay positive and go in the game with a positive mindset and hopefully we’ll get a positive result. We have to ensure we win our home games and continue the good record we have at Cape Town Stadium.”

Rob Delport
Rob Delport
Rob Delport is a walking football encyclopedia, having been a mainstay in the Cape Town football scene for years. Rob has previously worked for SABC and various websites and publications across Africa, as well as being the South African Head Researcher for Football Manager and doing a similar role occasionally for EA Sports FIFA. Highly respected, Rob is now a senior iDiski Times website and newspaper writer, and is also responsible for the newspaper's editorial.
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