To think that a couple of seasons ago Saxon Rovers were the punching bags of Safa Cape Town’s Third Division League with coaches coming and going – and with absolutely no inclination or objectives of success of any sorts…
That’s of course until head coach Robert Pretorius and his technical team came along who defied all odds in this ‘Graveyard’ league. And boy, did they do it in style as they nearly went unbeaten during 30 games thus far which includes one defeat and five draws with four games left to play.
This is exactly why Pretorius described their historic maiden league title as “massive achievement” despite the fact that they could only manage a 1-1 draw against the relegation-threatened Silver Spurs at the Royal Road Sport Complex on Friday evening – but this was enough to get the job done for Pretorius and his troops.
Needless to say, Saxons were fantastic and operated like a runaway train this season. In reality, they were just a cut above the rest.
According to “Robbie” as Pretorius is better known, their planning and sacrifices has now finally paid off and credit should also go to the club’s chairman, Allan Roman, who took decisive action by recruiting some key personnel to execute his plan.
“As my wife always says… put plans and dreams on paper and work towards it. It becomes more realistic once it’s in black and white instead of it in the air. But yeah, we planned for this and we knew we had to remain humble,” he added.
Pretorius also had high praise for Spurs who were definitely in the mood to not only spoil Saxons’ party, but also to improve their own situation at the bottom of the table where they are fighting to save their Third Division-status.
“They (Spurs) had a different drive last night,” Pretorius further explained. “They didn’t seem desperate… actually more like a focused performance. So, they added to the difficulty, you know.”
Pretorius is of the opinion that Silver Spurs, one of the longest serving teams in the league, is better than what the log reflects and deserves to stay in this league.
“If they play like they did versus us… they will. Now it’s up to them to keep that standard because other teams will also have that performance now,” Pretorius concluded.
Saxons will now shift their focus to the playoffs which will be held in Gansbaai on the 4th and 5th of July 2026.
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