Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams was one of the reasons why Masandawana kept the most clean sheets en route to their seventh successive Premier Soccer League triumph.
The 32-year-old played 22 league matches and managed to stop the ball from hitting the back of the net 15 times. In the aforementioned appearances, the Bafana Bafana captain conceded just eight goals.
In total, the Brazilians conceded 11 goals, equaling Kaizer Chiefs record of least goals conceded in the South African top-tier. The Glamour Boys set the record in the 2003/04 season under the late coach Ted Dumitru.
Cape Town City broke the hearts of the Masandawana faithful after claiming a deserved 1-0 win on the final day of the PSL campaign to deny Downs a new record.
Amakhosi warned – Sundowns want to break a two-decade-long record
The reigning PSL champions under coach Rhulani Mokwena managed to beat Pitso Mosimane's 71-point record that was set in the 2015/16 campaign. Downs managed to collect a total of 73 points and suffered a single loss the whole season.
Williams is adamant Sundowns are determined to hit even greater heights in the forthcoming season, “Concede less and have more clean sheets then it means we break more records because that’s how we are at Sundowns,” the custodian opened up on the new plan as quoted by iDiski Times.
“Each and every season, we set targets for ourselves. The mentality that we have is that we want to be number one in everything, and we are not happy that we tied the record for the least amount of goals conceded. We want to have that record.
“So that’s a challenge for us going into the new season to concede less than 11 goals; let’s keep it to a single digit. That’s how we are at Sundowns, and that’s why we are who we are because of that winner’s mentality.”
A big season for Williams looming
Sundowns have several major competitions coming; they are among the four African teams that qualified for the 2025 expanded Fifa Club World Cup – alongside Al AHly, Esperance, and Wydad Athletic Club.
The South African giants will also hope to win the Caf Champions League after coming close in recent seasons. Mokwena's team won the inaugural African Football League meaning they will give their best to retain it.
The PSL, MTN8, Nedbank Cup, and Carling Knockout will be up for grabs as well, and Williams is expected to be thrown into the deep waters.
