Kyle Peters left a void in FN Rangers’ last line of defence which at one stage seemed very difficult to fill.
However, Rangers, the defending ABC Motsepe League champion, has shown in the past that they are shrewd shoppers when it comes to buying (and selling) of players.
Needless to say, Rangers’ coach, Arreshaat Daniels is picky and fussy – he opts for quality rather than quantity hence he has one of the smallest squads and budgets in the league.’
‘Shakes’ as Daniels is also called, has again been very strategic on recruitment to add value to his squad. After all the idea is to go all the way this time round hence the quality and experienced reinforcements. And Rangers’ signing of the former Cape Town Spurs goalie Lincoln Vyver on a one-year-deal as a replacement for Peters is proof thereof.
It is very seldom that a goalie, especially of Peter’s calibre, is replaceable – and by an equally good one at that. But here’s the irony, to the surprise of Vyver and many others, he has walked into a situation where his supposed understudy Zandre “Twakkies” Hendricks (pictured) has taken the initiative and the number one jersey with some fine performances early on in the season.
This forced Daniels to give Twakkies the nod for the past couple of games in the Nedbank Cup – at the same time leaving Vyver to realise, the Motsepe League might be an amateur one, but there’s nothing amateur about the talent as it is there for all to see.
Furthermore, Rangers’ exports like Giovanni Philander (Chippa United), Zunaid Dollie and Dondre Gordon (both Hungry Lions) to PSL and First Division clubs respectively tells a story on its own.
That said, it is again expected that Twakkies will be calling the shots in the last line of defence when the Maitland-based side travel to Hout Bay to face the new ‘Manchester City;s’ of the Second Division in Hout Bay United Football Club in a Nedbank Cup semifinal in their own backyard on Saturday.at 13:00 – and not 15:00 as initially stated.
Should Rangers overcome this hurdle, it will be their second consecutive Nedbank Cup Regional final after being beaten by Maties FC last season in the Cape Winelands.
Daniels explained to No Bones with Jones: “What I like about my players is that there are no prima donnas, if you know what I mean. I’ve had a chat with the players and they know where they stand – they know the team comes first. Everybody bought into our idea and philosophy and we are here to do a job. That’s why we explained to Lincoln when he came in what the situation was.
“Besides, he is a pro and knows that it is part of the game. So, everybody is on the same page. Our focus is Hout Bay on Saturday, so we need to prepare as best as we can. Luckily for me I don’t really have any injury concerns,” Daniels concluded.
