Byron Cottle (pictured), coach of Cape Town City’s Hollywoodbets Third Division outfit is certainly not blinded by his past successes and impressive track record as a youth coach at the club.
Winner of the Coke Cup in 2021, as well as the Engen Knockout Challenge a year later (runner-up in 2021), coupled with Individual accolades such as back-to-back (2021 and 2022) coach of the tournament medals at the Engen KO challenge, did everything except inflate his ego.
Hence it came as no surprise when Cottle was given the nod to succeed the former Hellenic pro player Niven Payne who subsequently made the step up to take charge of City’s Diski squad.
It is also safe to say that this move will bring Cottle out of his comfort zone as a young mentor given the fierce opponents and season campaigners that he is to face in this cut-throat league.
The 34-year-old, who holds a Caf C-licence, is now relishing the opportunity as it will allow him to grow and develop along with his young squad.
“The step-up to the head coach role has been interesting for me,” Cottle told No Bones with Jones.
“It gives me a sense of responsibility and also challenges me to make decisions that will benefit the development of these young boys holistically. I am still a student of the game and I feel that we all are… we can never know too much, but most importantly for me as there is still lots to learn, but I am ready for the process,” he stated.
City, who is still unbeaten and sits at the summit of the log with 17 points from seven matches, travel to the Greens in Manenberg to face the high-flying and second-placed Crystal Palace (15 points) in a top-of-the-table clash on Friday afternoon (15:30).
Cottle knows all too well that this will be a true test of his young squad’s character and resolve – for more reasons than one.
“Yeah, it will be a tough encounter, especially going to The Greens, and for Palace in the form they are in, they will want to keep the momentum going,” Cottle pointed out. “We are excited for the challenge that awaits us. It’s games like this that help our young boys develop into mature footballers.
“For us, it’s all about bringing the best out of the players. The average age of the team is 17 and some of the boys were still playing under-16 football this year, so for them it’s another game to better themselves and to gain more experience,” he further added.
Cottle, who holds a diploma in Entrepreneurship and a diploma in Business Management, also had high praise for his counterpart from Palace and former Bafana Bafana player Bradley August.
“Yes, what an honour it will be for me to rub shoulders with an ex-Bafana player on the coaching front,” he further added. “Big respect for coach Bradley August and what he has done, not only in RTD (Regional Third Division) but also ABC (Motsepe League).
After six seasons in the Third Division, there’s been much speculation about City’s prospects to win promotion this season and to develop higher up, but Cottle was very diplomatic about their desire for (league) success.
“Yeah, it’s always a bonus to win a league and gain promotion… but I think if we continue to develop well then the results will take care of itself- winning is seeing players progress and develop into pro footballers in the near future,” he concluded.
