Not to undermine the platform and work done by head coach, Theo Hempe, and his assistant Shamiel Permall at Inter City FC thus far, but it appears that Goodwin Lewis was the missing link at this Second Division club.
Here’s the thing… before Lewis’ arrival in mid- December last year, City was all over the show trying to finalise and strengthen their squad with experience and some ‘unders’ after they attained the Motsepe League status of City Kings FC.
City also got rid of a few players deemed rotten apples, which also hampered their performance and contributed to the fact that they could only bag one point out of a possible nine from their three matches.
Alas! This all changed when Lewis was added to the technical team. Needless to say, ‘Oenie’ made an immediate impact as the results started to change for the better.
Like when they held the formidable Vasco da Gama to a 1-1 draw at Parow Park, which is no mean feat. City also followed it up with a 2-1 victory over Zizwe United. Wasted chances against Santos cost them valuable points in a 0-1 away defeat. City, however, made amends a week later against Young Bafana after a 2-0 win, only their second win of the season, but enough to launch them out of the last position in Stream A.
With eight points from eight matches, things are looking up for Hempe and his troops, and one cannot overlook the influence of Lewis as well.
The Wily old fox (Lewis) comes with a no-nonsense approach and keeps the players on their toes – and this is gelling well with Hempe, who, with his tactical and technical astuteness, brings a more subdued and calm approach. The results are starting to show that this approach works quite well.
It is evident that this ‘good cop, bad cop’ combination is certainly having a positive effect and working wonders for now. Besides, his good working relationship with the club’s experienced administrator and manager, Ashlam Petersen, also puts them in good standing for the remainder of the season.
City face Seaside Spurs (19:30) in Ocean View on Friday.
