February biding his time
THE football pitch is a lonely place for a goalkeeper, with just three poles to keep him company and too much time to think about his mistakes.
And those are the lucky ones. The most unfortunate goalkeepers have the company of other bench warmers, waiting for a chance that might never come.
Jody February has experienced both situations. He is the first-choice goalkeeper of the national under-23 side but No 2 to Anssi Jaakkola at Ajax Cape Town.
Despite returning from Senegal in December last year as a hero, after helping the under-23s qualify for the Olympics for the first time in 16 years, he was forced to sit on the bench at Ajax.
Lack of game time at club level has seen him lose his grip on his place in the national team.
Reyaad Pieterse is likely to start in goal when Bafana Bafana, made up of under-23 players, start their Cosafa Cup campaign today at 4pm at Sam Nujoma Stadium in Windhoek against Lesotho in the quarter-finals.
“It wasn’t easy at first when I came back from Senegal because I was used to playing and then I came back to sit on the bench,” February said.
“You need to be patient as a goalkeeper. It will definitely pay off, because we don’t all peak at the same time. I just have to be patient. Anssi is a true professional. He always helps me and the other younger guys. He pushes us to the limit.
“With Reyaad, even though this is his first camp, you could never say that because of how well he has fitted into the team. He is helping me and (Nkosingiphile) Gumede grow.
“We are also helping him because you can never know it all. It’s a win-win. It’s a good thing to have him around because he has been playing for a big team like Kaizer Chiefs and now he has a big contract with SuperSport United.
“That experience rubs off on us. It helps me raise my game. I know that he is older. Physically they’re a bit bigger than me. I just have to keep pushing.”
February pushed in the Urban Warriors’ under-19 team and helped them win two cups in their trip to Amsterdam last month. He looks certain to be part of the 18-man squad that will travel to Brazil for the Olympics. But what’s uncertain is whether he will start. February has fewer than 50 days to show he is worthy of a place in the starting team.
“The tournaments were amazing,” he said. “Playing against the best in the world at your age, seeing where you stand with them and realising that you aren’t far off and even better than some was a good feeling.
“I think the one thing that I’ve improved on… is my composure – how I approach every game and the mindset that I carry myself with – because that’s a big deal in Europe. It made me more focused on the upcoming camps, so that I can be in the final selection in the squad that will play in Brazil.”