For a striker that hasn’t played for five seasons, one really has to admire the courage, hunger and determination of the veteran striker Danian Wareley.
And for the record, the former pro player has only returned to competitive football to honour a call from Ashford Athletic’s new coach of the Third Division side, Curtley Daniels.
The 37-year-old was hauled in out of ‘retirement’ as Daniels obviously felt the goal poacher could still add value to Ashford. And that is exactly what he is doing on his return – scoring goals and the stats don’t lie! Wareley has now scored three goals in four matches, which is a quarter of the team’s goal tally of 12.
His brace on Friday evening against JL Zwane secured maximum points for the Third Division newbie and also put them back on track after a draw and loss in their previous two matches – not too shabby for a striker that has been out for a while but still manages to hit the back of the net in the cutthroat ‘Graveyard League’.
Which begs the question? How can one criticize a striker who is doing what he was brought in to do?
But instead of showing love, support and patience for Wareley, who has understandably lost some of his pace, he has come under fire. In some games, he is being ridiculed – along with defender Daniel Bieber – by the club’s very own supporters.
To the extent that the club had pleaded to their fans on social media to put an end to their unsporting, unjust and unwarranted behaviour.
The post reads as follows: “Last night, two separate incidents were brought to the club’s attention involving unacceptable behaviour from a small number of our own supporters toward our players. Let us be very clear: Any form of abuse – racial, verbal, or personal – has absolutely no place at Ashford Athletic.
Our players give everything on the field. They deserve encouragement, respect, and a safe environment to perform in. We stand firmly behind our players who were affected, and the club is addressing the individuals involved.
“To the rest of our supporters: Thank you for always lifting the team. We ask that you continue to uphold the values of Ashford Athletic by supporting positively, representing the badge with pride, and protecting the spirit of our club.
Let’s unite behind our players. Let’s show them what true support looks like. One team. One community. One Ashford!”
This is actually very sad, as I cannot recall an amateur club in modern times that had to go to these lengths to put their fans in check.
Sometimes one is quick to judge and forget what was done in the past, as Wareley’s track record speaks for itself, and not many can compete or achieve what he has done during his career.
Only true fans will appreciate what he dished up for clubs like Santos (PSL) IKapa Sporting (NFD), FC Cape Town (NFD), Ajax (PSL), IBV (Iceland), Hanover Park NFD, Milano NFD, Cape Town Allstars (NFD), Glendene United, Magic, FN Rangers and his last semi-pro club he played for in Clarewood (all Motsepe League) – it’s also more than what most can achieve collectively.
