THE TENACIOUS TEAC

IF tenacity was the hallmark of accomplished footballers then Gary McNab would definitely fit perfectly into that category. McNab was as genuinely hard-working a player as will be found anywhere – forever courageous in the way he went about his duties on the pitch. And despite limited flair, he had a playing career to be proud of. “I was lucky to play in Scotland, Holland and then go on to captain Moroka Swallows, win two Bafana Bafana caps and then end my career at Orlando Pirates, one of the biggest clubs in the country,” McNab says. His consistent hard work fuelled his style from the beginning of his career in Scotland – his country of birth – through to his time at then-Wits University, who he joined in 1997. Two years later, after scoring 11 goals in 59 starts for Wits, McNab moved to Swallows where he was eventually converted from a forward into a central defender. His career blossomed playing at the back for The Dube Birds, where he amassed 204 starts over seven years, winning the 2004 Absa Cup while captaining the club. He also picked up a 2002 Cosafa Castle Cup medal, playing the Final for Bafana in Durban in one of his two internation- al appearances for the senior national team. “I came to Wits from Holland as a striker, but when I got to Swallows I couldn’t fit in and was converted to central defender by Viktor Bondarenko. In my first game playing at the back I had to mark Jerry Sikhosana and I did well. Having been a striker before, I loved the challenge of playing at the back as I already knew how strikers operate,” McNab says. A brief spell with lower division club Raiders preceded a move to The Buccaneers, where he would spend 18 months at the tail-end of his career. His career finally came to an end in the 2007/08 season, during which he made just two appearances for Pirates, with his last game coming against Maritzburg United on 21 February, 2008. “Though it was amazing to end my career with Pirates, it hurt me that I left without playing much for them, despite spending 18 months there. I felt I could have given a lot to them and the game in general, but politics killed my spirits. After that I also wanted to get involved with Swallows in their development or as a team manager, but they said they didn’t have the budget to accommodate me so that became the end for me,” McNab says. Immediately after retirement he tried setting up a soccer academy in Roodepoort, but had little success. Shortly after that he found a job at Mayfair Convent Primary School as a sports co-ordinator. After four years with the independent Catholic school he moved to North West Christian School in Northcliff, where he remains to this day. He also runs a career guidance programme, Yellow Card, with another former

”I joined Swallows for free and I got paid a salary of R500 a month.”