TS Galaxy assistant coach Parker wary of minnows Jacksa Spears

TS Galaxy assistant coach Bernard Parker knows a thing or two about cup final embarrassment at the hands of an unfancied team, and he doesn’t want history to repeat itself this weekend.

The former Bafana Bafana striker was part of the Kaizer Chiefs team that was stunned by Galaxy in the Nedbank Cup final in 2019 at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

He is now with Galaxy, and they are up against ABC Motsepe minnows Jacksa Spears in the quarterfinal stage of the same tournament at the Solomon Mahlangu Stadium in KwaMhlanga on Sunday, and he is treading carefully.

“Memory does serve me well; I was playing for the defending champions then, and TS Galaxy was playing in the NFD, and they became victorious at Moses Mabhida Stadium,” said Parker this week.

“That is just the magic of the Nedbank Cup. Surprises will always come up; it is about making sure you deal well with the moments. Unfortunately, I was on the losing side at that time.

“But this time around I want to be on the winning side as a coach. I want to get the Nedbank Cup medal as a coach, and I know it is possible.

“Within the current members of the TS Galaxy squad, it is only McBeth Mahlangu who was part of that team that beat Chiefs in the final.

“The rest of the guys are fairly new, and they have not tasted cup success yet with TS Galaxy. What is of importance for us is to make sure we can repeat history.

“From my experience as a former player, it is important that senior players take charge in the game and make sure they control certain moments.”

Nothing much is known about Spears, who play in the lower divisions in the Northern Cape.

“We don’t have much about them; our analysts have gathered the necessary information about them. We are satisfied with the amount of footage and information we have of them,” Parker said.

“We are well prepared as the technical team, and we just have to make sure that we make players aware of what to expect on the day.”

TimesLIVE