Bernard Parker still carries the scar of 2019. On Saturday, he has the
chance to begin healing it—this time from the opposite dugout.
The former Kaizer Chiefs striker was part of the Amakhosi side that suffered
one of the Nedbank Cup’s most seismic upsets six years ago, when a TS Galaxy
team competing in the National First Division stunned the Soweto giants 1-0
in the final at Moses Mabhida Stadium. Now serving as assistant coach at
that very same Galaxy, Parker reflected on that painful memory during a
press conference in Johannesburg on Thursday, ahead of the Rockets’
quarterfinal clash against amateur side Jacksa Spears.
“I was playing for the current Nedbank Cup champions then, and TS Galaxy was
plying their trade in the NFD,” Parker recalled, the weight of history
evident in his words. “TS Galaxy came out victorious in that final at Moses
Mabhida Stadium. It’s just the magic of the Nedbank Cup, and surprises will
always come up.”
That afternoon in Durban etched itself into South African football
folklore—a moment when the underdog narrative reached its ultimate
expression. For Parker, it represented the cruellest kind of football
lesson.
“For us it’s about how you deal within the moment and how you manage the
game within the moment,” he explained. “Unfortunately, then I was on the
losing side, but now this time around I want to be on the winning side as a
coach—to get the Nedbank Cup winning medal as a coach, which I know is
possible and I believe is possible.”
The irony of his current position is not lost on the former Bafana Bafana
striker. Six years after Galaxy broke his heart as a player, he now works to
ensure they break others’ as a coach.
Much has changed at the Mpumalanga outfit since that famous triumph. The
club has since ascended to the top flight, and the squad bears little
resemblance to the giant-killers of 2019. Parker noted that only a few
threads connect the present to that glorious past.
“Within the members of TS Galaxy, we can say the longest-serving member is
the chairman, who is the founder of the team,” he said, acknowledging club
boss Tim Sukazi’s enduring presence. “But as far as I remember, only Macbeth
Mahlangu, our centre-back, was part of that squad.”
For the majority of the current playing personnel, success at Galaxy remains
an aspiration rather than a memory—a reality Parker believes adds extra
motivation to their cup run.
“The rest of the guys are fairly new, and they haven’t tasted success yet
from TS Galaxy,” he observed. “The main importance for us as a club is to
make sure that we can repeat history, but to do that we must take it game by
game.”
That philosophy explains the measured approach to Saturday’s quarterfinal
against Jacksa Spears. Despite the SAFA Regional side representing the kind
of opponent Galaxy themselves once embodied, Parker insists there will be no
complacency.
“About Jacksa Spears, we didn’t have much info at first, but we have a top
analyst team,” he revealed. “They made the necessary steps to get footage
from them, and I think we are satisfied with the information we have
gathered.”
With homework completed, the focus now shifts to execution—and here Parker
believes his playing experience becomes invaluable.
“From my experience as a former player, bringing that onto the players will
assist a lot,” he said. “It’s also about making sure the senior players take
charge of the game, control certain moments and enhance the moments that can
help us win the match.”
The message from the Galaxy camp is clear: they know exactly how cup magic
works because they once conjured it themselves. Now, as favourites rather
than underdogs, the challenge is ensuring they don’t become the latest
victims of the competition they once conquered.
