Striker Sedwyn set to add finishing touches
SINCE THEIR inception as a football club in 1999, Ajax Cape Town have been maddeningly frustrating. Plagued by inconsistency, they’ve never really done justice to the club’s full potential. In short, when they are good, they are very good. And, conversely, when things go wrong, they go very wrong.
A glance back down the years to when Ajax have done well as a team, reveals that the one thing in common is that they’ve always had a reliable goalscorer, like Thembinkosi “Terror” Fanteni, Thulani Serero and Mabhuti Khenyeza. And it places their recent struggles into context, in that they still hog possession and territory, but finishing the scoring opportunities remains a problem. As Ajax prepare to kick off the new PSL season with a league fixture against Golden Arrows at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday night (kickoff 8.15pm), they believe they may have found a solution in new signing Sedwyn George.
Born, raised and schooled in Maritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal, 25-year-old George won the National First Division (NFD) Golden Boot award last season, scoring 20 goals for Durban-based Royal Eagles. Having watched and monitored the forward closely, Ajax were quick to pounce and lure the player to the Mother City.
“Ajax were interested in me halfway through last season already,” said George. “When the offer came a few months later, I accepted. I must say I am very happy here… I’ve always wanted to play for Ajax, I’ve always wanted an opportunity to live in Cape Town. This is a little bit like a country within a country.
“I’m settled, my teammates have welcomed me, and I’m learning more and more from the coach (Stanley Menzo) every day. I can feel that my game is improving all the time.”
It’s taken a while for George to realise his dream of playing in the PSL. He was at Maritzburg United as a development player, in their U17 and U19 teams. He then had spells at Third Division and Second Division clubs before deciding to pack it in for a while to study for a BSc degree at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
But the football bug bites deep. George was restless at university; the desire to be a professional footballer was just too intense, too consuming, to ignore. So he put his studies on hold and went for a trial with Maritzburg’s PSL squad; he didn’t make it. But he never gave up – he took himself off to Eagles in the NFD for another trial, and this time he impressed enough and was signed.
“After a slow start at Eagles, everything just came together last season,” said George. “I didn’t start in the first five games, but managed a few appearances off the bench. I started the sixth game, scored a goal, and never looked back. My confidence grew and the goals kept coming.”
Now, with his first opportunity at PSL level, George knows he has great responsibility on his shoulders. He is aware of Ajax’s recent struggles in attack and he knows he has been brought in as the solution to the problem. It’s a pressure right from the start, but he believes he’s up for the challenge.
“I came to Ajax because I believe in my ability,” he said. “I think I can make a difference, I can make a contribution. I came here to score goals and win trophies… I know it’s a big step up to the PSL, and there is a lot of pressure on me to perform, but I can take it. I’m ready.”
As for Arrows on Saturday, with George likely to make his debut, the striker is aware of the threat posed by the opposition.
“It won’t be easy,” he said. “I watched Arrows play Wits last week and they are a good side. We will have to work hard to get the better of them. We will have to be dedicated in our approach and we will have work together as a team if we want to take the three points.”