Young Bafana’s prayers have been answered and their new head coach Bradley Barnes could not have wished for a better turnout of events for the struggling defending ABC Motsepe champion.
The Strand-based outfit, who are still seeking their first win after three games, resumes their Second Division campaign – following the Festive break – with a tricky away fixture against Ikapa Sporting on 26 January at the NY116 Sportfield in Gugulethu.
And with new additions like Diadora FC’s skipper Tshepiso ‘Shabba’ Thlapi coupled with former stalwarts such as Zairon Abrahams, Keano Smith and Charlton Basson returning to the club, Bafana’s prospects of collecting their first points of the season against Ikapa looks a lot more realistic.
No Bones with Jones has been informed that this quartet was roped in to help the defending champion get back on track – but it comes at a price.
The irony is that Abrahams, Smith and Basson all left due to lack of financial compensation and it seems that Bafana’s desperation has led to them to dig deeper into their coffers to lure them back to the club.
This begs the question…. would it not have made sense from the outset to have looked after the players financially? Perhaps then the club could have been at the summit of the log instead of the bottom with no points from a possible nine?
Barnes, who followed up Carlos Manuel to the back end of last year, has worked under Ashraf Calvert when they won the league title last season.
Needless to say Barnes has big boots to fill but with the new acquisitions he ought to restore some credibility and respectability and most importantly win matches in order to retain their status.
