Vasco ‘simply did not score enough goals last season’
THE unanimous opinion in local football is that Cape Town deserves to have a second Premier Soccer League (PSL) club.
For the last few seasons, since the relegation of Santos and Vasco da Gama, and the relocation of Chippa United to Port Elizabeth, Ajax Cape Town have been proudly representing the Mother City in topflight football.
But, analysts, critics and coaches agree, with the glut of raw talent available, Cape football needs another PSL team in order to nurture, develop and grow the next generation of players.
The responsibility of gaining this much sought-after PSL spot falls on the shoulders of the Cape’s five National First Division (NFD) clubs – Vasco, Santos, Milano United, FC Cape Town and Cape Town All Stars.
In recent seasons, the quintet has only flattered to deceive – but Vasco head coach Tony de Nobrega believes the imminent relaxing of the controversial under-23 rule could be the catalyst to changing the Cape’s fortunes.
NFD clubs, since 2009, have been hamstrung by the under23 rule, which requires teams to start with five players under the age of 23. While the rule is noble in its attempt to fasttrack young players, it proved fruitless in the hurly-burly world of NFD football, where the relentless pursuit of promotion was far more important than development.
As such, clubs were starting with five under-23 players, but substituting one or two inside the opening 10 minutes of fixtures.
Many NFD coaches have pointed out that some of these youngsters are just not ready - and, because of club bosses’ desire for promotion, there is no time to spend on assisting the progress of these rookies.
De Nobrega returned to Vasco training from vacation this week, though his squad has been hard at work with their pre-season programme under the watchful eye of former Moroka Swallows striker, Noel Cousins.
Cousins is the Parow-based side’s new assistant-coach, with last season’s incumbent, Keenin Lesch, now tasked with heading up the club’s youth development programme.
“The guys are working hard, it’s going nicely,” said De Nobrega. “But, right now, it’s difficult to plan or finalise a squad ... until we know what the outcome of the under-23 rule is, there’s not much we can do. The rule determines how we structure our squad.”
The latest development is that the PSL has approved a change. The new rule will see NFD clubs being asked to name five under-23 players in their match-day squad, but only a maximum of two have to be on the field at all times.
But, while the PSL has approved the change, it still has to be ratified by the SA Football Association before it comes into effect.
If the new rule is passed, De Nobrega is confident it will boost Vasco’s chances of promotion. Last season, when Vasco charged all the way to the semifinals of the Nedbank Cup, they did so because the under-23 rule was not in effect for the Cup competition. They used their best players at all times, and they were able to show what they were capable of.
“We do have good under-23 players at Vasco, but not enough. Many of them still need time to adjust and develop to a higher level, but, in the NFD, we don’t have the time,” he said.
“Last season, we had the best defence in the NFD, but we simply did not score enough. As a result, we left quite a few points on the field. The challenge this season is to improve our attack... We need to find reliable and consistent goalscorers. I know lack of goals is a general problem in South African football, but it’s an area we have to strengthen if we want to challenge for promotion.”