Wise man Kapini says Highlands Park have no time to relax

IT IS OFTEN considered the beginning of the end of a career when a seasoned professional player finds himself playing in the National First Division (NFD).

Over the years this has been the case, with many a former star disappearing into oblivion via the NFD.

But a quartet of wily old hats has proved that there can be exceptions to the rule by playing a key role in helping Highlands Park gain Premiership status and in the process reviving their careers.

Tapuwa Kapini, 31, Rudi Isaacs, 30, Jermaine Christian, 33, and Stanley Kgatla, 33, are all well-known names in the local game, all having played for some of the country’s top clubs.

Together they used their experience to help guide the youngsters at the Lions of the North through a difficult NFD campaign in which they narrowly missed out on automatic promotion after finishing second behind Baroka FC.

That failure did not deflate them but instead inspired them to push harder in the promotional play-offs, which they won on Wednesday with a match to spare.

Kapini, a 31-year-old Zimbabwean, was particularly inspirational. As captain and the last line of defence, he was the key to Highlands finishing the campaign unbeaten at Makhulong Stadium. He kept an incredible 21 clean sheets in 30 matches, underpinning a young team that was only in the NFD for the second season.

During the season Kapini not only cajoled his teammates but also egged on the capacity crowd at the Tembisa arena to keep them cheering. At the end of each match he would lead the team in thanking the fans for their support.

“This success was down to a lot of people, and our fans were right up there with the management, the technical team and the players in making this promotion happen,” he said.

“They made Makhulong a very difficult place for teams to visit and they were behind us from the beginning. When we lost at Swallows early in the season everyone thought we would just be making up the numbers, but at our matches at home our supporters made sure we were unstoppable. We want to make our ground a slaughterhouse, so that even when the big teams like Sundowns and Pirates come over they feel the heat.”

Kapini is in no doubt that Highlands Park have what it takes to compete at the top.

“I think we have shown that in football you shouldn’t be judged by your age. Myself, Rudi, Jermaine and Stan proved that a career is only over when you as the player say it is. I know that a lot of people had written us off… But look at what we have managed to achieve, thanks to Mr (Larry) Brookstone, who gave all of us a second chance.”

Kapini and Kgatla played together at Platinum Stars, which Brookstone previously owned.

“Of course to have someone believe in you is a very good thing for a player’s confidence,” said Kapini. “But it also takes a lot of character to get back from the bottom and lift yourself up… We got together and saw this as a challenge to prove we still have what it takes. And we decided to use our experience to help guide the young boys who had done a great job of getting this young club up to the NFD.

“I really must give credit to these youngsters because they took our advice to heart, listened and worked very hard.”

Kapini is also full of praise for the club’s management.

“It was the bosses who really grounded all of us from the beginning. They got us a fantastic coach (Allan Freese) who believes in fighting for what you want… In the end we all knew what was required of us and there were never any complaints from anyone whenever we had to train.”

For Kapini personally, the win over Mbombela United on Wednesday was bitter-sweet because it coincided with the death of his mentor, Tendai Mwanasanga.

“That man was responsible for turning me into a goalkeeper when I was young. Everything I know about goalkeeping I learnt from him. It was very sad to hear of his death and I will be going home to pay my respects.”

Another thing that Kapini and the rest of the Highlands Park veterans will be doing before they go on their break is imparting some pearls of elite-league wisdom.

“We’ll be meeting to make the boys realise that the hard work only begins now. It is important that they stay grounded and not see promotion to the PSL as the ultimate. We’re going to advise them not to imbibe on holiday pleasures too much, lest they return overweight and unfit,” he laughed.

So much for 30 equalling “finished” in the local game.

“It’s not only a South African problem but a problem all over Africa. I hope that what we have achieved here will teach our clubs to stop judging players by age.”