Vasco da Gama has always been an ambitious club despite their yo-you display of floating in and out of the professional and amateur ranks over the last decade or so.
Needless to say, the club is again on an upward trajectory – not just due to their recent promotion success to the ABC Motsepe League but since they acquired the Third Division status of Bellstar United in 2020.
Their junior structures are progressing and they are competing against the very best teams and academies – it is safe to say they are certainly doing justice as the proof is in the pudding.
It has taken Vasco only a couple of seasons to get to the third tier of SA football and they are again one step away from the pro ranks of the first division.’
And the coach tasked to guide them back to the glory days is a former member and coach in Andrew Pequeno who’s certainly brought the belief back to the team from Parow Park.
“Let’s not undermine and forget the foundation laid by coaches like Robert Pretorius, head coach in the LFA structure as well as Elton Swartz the LFA first team’s coach,” Pequeno pointed out. “Their unselfish commitment and hard work cannot go unnoticed.”
Pequeno, who has had big success with his former Hanover Park FC side in the past, knows all too well the demands and challenges that comes with the Motsepe League.
This is also why Pequeno went and tried to cover all his bases with acquisitions of experienced seasoned campaigners such as former Hanover Park midfielder Taurieq Dien as well as Kiyaam Bull from La Masia FC.
“And then you know about Luther (Jacobs) coming across with players like Tauriq (Dien) and (Craig) Joemath. So those three, plus I had to, obviously with the Nedbank Cup and some of my guys playing in the Coke (Cup) currently, I needed guys with ABC experience,” Pequeno explained to No Bones with Jones.
“We also got in Damian Overmeyer (pictured), the captain of UWC (University of the Western Cape). So, they are basically my experienced players. Plus I also got the youngsters still from last season – all my unders. We will see how it goes.
“We are just here to compete and see where we end up. I don’t have ambition in saying we are going to win the league because I can’t. I mean it’s our first year and we don’t know what is going to happen. And a lot of new teams and new coaches in the league and lots of new things ja, everybody is trying to fight and you can already see with the results of the Nedbank Cup,” Pequeno concluded.
