Stellenbosch’s Plaatjies hailed as ‘natural goalscorer’ after debut hat-trick

Stellenbosch FC manager Gavin Hunt has compared 20-year-old forward Quwan Plaatjies to former Bafana Bafana and Kaizer Chiefs striker Mark Williams after the youngster scored a hat-trick on his Betway Premiership debut.

Plaatjies scored three times in Stellenbosch’s 3-1 win over Marumo Gallants on Friday evening, announcing himself on the senior stage after several productive seasons in the club’s academy and reserve sides.

The forward is from Atlantis on the West Coast of Cape Town and has developed through the Stellenbosch FC Academy. He has been a regular goalscorer for the Stellies Reserve side and played an important part in their success in the 2023/24 DStv Diski Challenge season, when they won the title.

Plaatjies also scored an impressive goal against Everton FC during the NEXTGen tournament in the United Kingdom.

His breakthrough came after a period of waiting for an opportunity, a path Hunt compared to that of Williams, who made his mark for Bafana Bafana in the 1996 AFCON final. Hunt previously gave Bafana Bafana’s all-time leading scorer Benni McCarthy his first opportunity at Seven Stars.

“I saw him last season. He’s not a striker. This boy, he’s a goalscorer. Now there’s a big difference for me. He’s like if I’m going to say this, it’s going to be all over the media like Mark Williams,” Hunt said after Stellenbosch’s victory.

“The build-ups, you don’t get him involved, but he can score goals. I saw him in pre-season. I thought, ‘My God,’ and when I saw his name as well, I went, ‘My God, hope he’s not a roadrunner…’

“But he’s a goalscorer, he’s a natural goalscorer, and that’s hard to find. There’s a difference between a striker and a goalscorer: a striker holds it up and he can run and press, and this guy scores goals.

“In training, he scores goals every day, and he went in pre-season. He was scoring goals, and I thought, ‘Yeah, tonight’s the night at home.’ I wouldn’t play him too much away yet. It’s a bit early for that.”

Hunt said Plaatjies’ scoring form in training had convinced him the home fixture was the right occasion to hand the youngster a significant role, although he cautioned against exposing him too quickly to away matches.

The Stellenbosch manager is widely recognised in South African football for promoting young players, and he believes the club may have found another promising prospect in winger Raoul Daniels.

Daniels has been used as a natural replacement for Devin Titus on the right flank. Hunt first watched him play at Bay Hill last year and later handed him his Stellenbosch debut in the opening match of the season.

“I’ve always believed in the youth. I mean, how many players? So… But these kids are good, man,” Hunt said.

“Raoul. He’s another one. I saw him play in the Bay Hill last year. I thought that’s my type of player. He’s a winger. Crossing is fantastic. And I mean, he can put balls on a tickey there. That’s what we want.

“If you get people in the right area like this boy… so it’s something to work with. You know what I’m saying? It’s a real breath of fresh air for me to see these types of players. There are so many of them around, you know.

“And you’re taking a guy from the Bay Hill and you’re putting him in the first team. I mean, I gave him his debut in the first game of the season. I thought he was all right. I dropped Devin. Obviously, there was a lot of talk about that.

“So I thought, I better make a plan sooner or later, you know. And he’s proved me right again. Tonight, he knocked in two great balls, two great crosses. It’s exciting football. That’s the way I like to play football.

“I was born with wingers. I grew up with wingers. I’m a winger. That’s my football. I like that style.”