Maritzburg United's ability to run for longer than 90 minutes is part of the secret of their success in 2017-18, veteran centreback Bevan Fransman has said.
Long-time bottom-half dwellers Maritzburg are destined for their best season in the Premier Soccer League due to a confluence of factors.
The promotion this season of Fadlu Davids, schooled under Dutch guru Raymond Verheijen and in his years as an apprentice to mostly Ernst Middendorp at United and Bloemfontein Celtic, has come at the right time for the PSL's youngest coach at 36.
Davids has taken over as a generation of young players such as Lebogang Maboe, Fortune Makaringe and Siphesihle Ndlovu have come to the fore from youth structures set up by himself and Middendorp.
Best shape of his career
And Davids's strength in conditioning means a 34-year-old like Fransman is in the best shape of his career at the heart of a miserly defence that, with 15 goals conceded, has the best record in the PSL with Kaizer Chiefs. The younger players have boundless energy, and United have not had a muscle-related injury this season.
The result was another win, 2-1 at home to Polokwane City at their Harry Gwala Stadium on Friday night that took Maritzburg, whose best finish in the PSL has been eighth, to third place with six games left.
"He took over as head coach at the right time," Fransman said. "I think he was really ready to fulfill the role as head coach having been the assistant for a few years prior.
Student becomes a teacher
"It shows, what he's picked up from each coach he worked with. And I'd say Ernst Middendorp mostly. He was the student and now he's the teacher."
A team who used to buy bigger teams' rejects has finally worked out the formula of mining the rich talent in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands area.
"And I think the batch of youngsters who have come through in the last season-and-a-half at Maritzburg have been fantastic, as far as the maturity they have shown," Fransman said.
"Not all young players can handle being thrown in at the deep end. I think this batch are really mature beyond their age. And they've taken their role on fantastically."
The result is a young, fearless team who have a tactically solid game plan based on a lightning counterattack. And given their fitness, that lightning can strike repeatedly, for 90 minutes.
"Fadlu's got his own philosophy and way of conditioning the players, along with our fitness coach, Burger van der Merwe," Fransman said.
"The understanding between the two and finding the balance of when to do what is fantastic."..