Veteran defender Vuyo Mere joins TS Galaxy shortly after leaving Swallows

TS Galaxy have announced the arrival of vastly experienced defender Vuyo Mere.

The club said the 37-year-old,  who parted ways with Swallows FC this week, has penned an 18-month deal to help them move away from the bottom of the standings.

“We are quite delighted to have secured a player of Vuyo’s calibre,” said TS Galaxy chair Tim Sukazi.

“I have always regarded him as a ‘Dani Alves’ of SA football. He is a born leader who has a lot of knowledge to impart among our young crop of players. He certainly still has a lot to contribute in the field of play despite his many years in the game.”

Mere, who is one of the oldest and longest-serving players in the league, has enjoyed a successful career with Hellenic, Mamelodi Sundowns, Platinum Stars, Bidvest Wits and Swallows.

His highlights include being part of the Bafana Bafana squad for the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt. The fullback expressed his delight at joining the Rockets and has set his sights on making an instant impact.

“I'm very delighted to have joined a young and ambitious team in TS Galaxy as they look at improving their position on the log table. I'm aligning my goals with the team's objectives,” Mere said.

“TS Galaxy want to achieve better and I'm looking forward to contributing to the success of this young and exciting club. TS Galaxy’s goals and mine are the same. TS Galaxy is the new kid on the block but already the club has a rich history and I want to be part of that.”

Mere said he wants to use his experience to help the team to get out of the relegation zone when the season resumes from the Africa Cup of Nations break in February.

“This is a great team with a great chairman. I want to write my name in the history books of TS Galaxy FC. Consistency is going to be the key in the second round of the season,” he said.

“We have 13 cup finals to play, the team showed major refinements in the later stage of the first-round matches. I want to contribute to turning things around with my experience.”

Galaxy coach Sead Ramovic said: “Vuyo comes with experience and that is going to be the key if you look at improving our situation on the log.”

The Rockets went into the break in last place in the DStv Premiership.