Pienaar to face his mentor Johnson
Match-up leaves ace feeling ‘weird’
Veteran midfielder Steven Pienaar admits that it will be a strange feeling to face his mentor Cavin Johnson for the first time as an opponent when Bidvest Wits take on AmaZulu tomorrow evening (7.30pm).
Johnson’s pivotal role in nurturing Pienaar as a youth footballer before becoming a world-renowned star has been well-publicised.
Before earning his riches from plying his trade in Europe for the likes of Ajax Amsterdam, Borussia Dortmund, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur, Pienaar was a prodigy playing under Johnson’s wing at the School of Excellence.
The 35-year-old former Bafana Bafana captain will enter the match against Johnson’s Usuthu at the King Zwelithini Stadium in Durban desperate for Wits to clinch their first win of the season.
“It will be kind of weird to play against him. Coming up against coach Cavin I will want to show what I have learned and what he has taught me in the early parts of my career,” Pienaar said.
“The last time we were on the field together I was playing for him in 1999 at the School of Excellence in the KFC Cup in Italy before I Joined Ajax Cape Town.
“Everyone knows that he has played a big part in my career from the early ages and I will always be thankful to him because he is like a father figure.
“He was there for me at times when I didn’t want to play anymore, so I think he is proud that I have gone this far.”
The defending Absa Premiership champions have a horrendous record of four losses and three draws in all competitions. The Clever Boys needed penalties to advance to the MTN8 semifinal after a 2-2 draw with Golden Arrows last month.
After investing heavily on recruiting Pienaar, Daylon Claasen and Slavko Damjanovic from Europe and Ahmad Gamal from Egyptian giants Al Ahly, the university outfit has failed to hit the ground running this season.
“We have been knocking on the door for a while to get the win. We have had so many opportunities that we have created on the goal line,” Pienaar continued. “[When] we played against Cape Town City the goalkeeper won man of the match, when we played Kaizer Chiefs – again with 10 men – the goalkeeper gets the man of the-match that tells you we have been dominating games.”
Regardless of the result, Pienaar is looking forward to sharing a drink with his mentor when he sees him for the first time since June last year. “Whoever is on field will want to win, and I wish him all the best for the rest of the season.”