Kaizer Chiefs’ DDC (DStv Diski Challenge) assistant coach Dillon
Sheppard has shed light on why many of the club’s youth graduates fail to
cement their place in the senior team—pointing to fierce competition and the
need for mental readiness as key factors.
Speaking during a FIFA Twinning Programme at the Johannesburg Central
Prison, Sheppard emphasized that promoted youngsters are stepping into an
environment filled with top professionals and experienced campaigners.
“It’s not so much a challenge as it is about the competition they face.
They’re competing against top professionals with huge experience,” Sheppard
explained.
“With young players, timing is everything. Your opportunity comes, and how
ready are you to take it? That’s very important. I keep telling the players:
if you get a chance to train with the first team, come back down with a good
attitude and keep performing.”
Sheppard, a former Bafana Bafana midfielder, stressed that mental
preparedness is just as crucial as physical ability when the chance arrives.
“When your chance comes, it’s not only about being physically ready—you have
to be mentally ready too. You know the pressures that come with playing for
Kaizer Chiefs. You might get only one opportunity, and you have to take it.
It’s up to them. We believe in their quality, and we believe more players
will come through, but they have to be ready.”
In recent seasons, several promising talents—such as Thulani Mabaso, Naledi
Hlongwane, Sifiso Timba, and Manqoba Ozoemena—have been promoted to the
first team only to return to the DDC, where they continue to excel at that
level.
Sheppard’s comments highlight the difficult transition from academy football
to the pressures of senior football at one of South Africa’s biggest clubs,
where opportunity must be met with readiness, resilience, and the right
mindset.
