TS Galaxy may have slain the giant, but Bernard Parker insists there
will be no complacency when his side face minnows Jacksa Spears in the
Nedbank Cup quarterfinals.
The Rockets produced the upset of the round when they dispatched mighty
Mamelodi Sundowns in the last 32, a result that sent shockwaves through
South African football. Yet speaking at the Nedbank headquarters in Sandton
on Thursday, the Galaxy assistant coach delivered a pointed message: that
victory guarantees nothing against their upcoming SAFA Regional opposition.
“For me when I was a player and being on both sides of the Nedbank Cup in
terms of being victorious and not being victorious, with that kind of
experience, bringing it to the players, in terms of what this competition
does and can do when you face the opponent on the day, it all matters what
happens on the day,” the former Bafana Bafana striker told journalists.
Galaxy face Jacksa Spears on Saturday at the Solomon Mahlangu Stadium, and
Parker struck a cautious tone, warning that history has taught painful
lessons to those who underestimate lower-league opposition in this
competition.
“It will be a very tricky fixture with Jacksa Spears, but we have done our
homework, and they’ve done their homework, and we all know what can happen
and what has happened in the past with the Nedbank Cup. We are also well
aware that we have a strong possibility of going all the way to the final.”
The warning carries particular weight from Parker, who experienced the
competition’s capacity for drama from both sides during his illustrious
playing career. Now tasked with guiding Galaxy’s charges, he emphasized the
importance of mindset ahead of the encounter.
“Our preparations currently, is just for us to make sure that we get back to
basics, get back to being at the right mental levels in terms of how we have
been working on what we have built to get us this far, both within the PSL
and the Nedbank Cup.”
Galaxy themselves wrote their name into Nedbank Cup folklore in 2019 when,
as a National First Division outfit, they stunned Kaizer Chiefs 1-0 in the
final at Moses Mabhida Stadium. Now competing as a top-flight club, they
harbour ambitions of repeating that feat—but Parker knows the path to Durban
runs through Kameelrivier first.
“Reason is that we all know big teams have been surprised and we don’t want
to be surprised as well by the opponents that we will face. Right now the
focus is on Jacksa Spears this weekend and to make sure that we get the team
back to the performing stage that we want.”
The message from the Galaxy camp is unmistakable: the giant-killers have no
intention of becoming the giants being killed.
