Graham wants Ajax to give ‘blood and sweat, everything’
WHILE wary of the potential threat posed by Bloemfontein Celtic, there is an air of optimism as Ajax Cape Town head into their Nedbank Cup last 16 showdown at the Athlone Stadium on Friday night.
It’s been a rough couple of years for the Cape side, who twice faced a relegation threat in the league, while also being eliminated at the last 32 stage in the Nedbank Cup twice in successive seasons, during which time they also failed to make much headway in the Telkom Knockout competition.
But counting down towards Friday’s encounter with Bloemfontein Celtic, there is far more of a spring in the collective step of the Ajax players and technical staff.
Having taken nine out of an available 12 points since the start of the year, the Urban Warriors have moved up into fifth position on the standings, and with seven league matches still to go, they have also passed the 30-point mark, which is usually enough to stay away from the relegation dog fight.
Add to that an almost fully fit squad, following the return of a large batch of injured players over the last couple of months, and there is every reason for the club to feel confident about going on a strong cup run, adding some money to the coffers in the process, and perhaps even winning the compeition.
One man determined to help the Parow-based club add some silverware to a trophy cabinet, that has not been opened since 2008 when they lifted the Telkom Knockout after winning the Absa (now Nedbank) Cup the previous year, is skipper Travis Graham.
The hard-grafting midfielder says having a full squad again has resulted in all the players upping their efforts at training. “It’s the first time in while we have had a full squad together – everyone wants to play,” Graham said. “Its good competition, everyone is giving 100 percent and working hard so that the coach can select his best eleven, there is a very good spirit in the camp ahead of this cup game.”
Despite the winds of optimism blowing around Ikamva these days, there is a consensus from those within the club that the team is capable of a whole lot more. Even when winning, Ajax have not been at their fluent and thrilling best; recent outings have seen the team grinding out wins rather than outplaying opposition with the kind of scintillating football they are capable of dishing up when firing on all cylinders.
Its perhaps for this reason, and the fact that Celtic are in pretty decent form themselves, that Graham feels his side should approach the game with a certain amount of caution and not get too ahead of themselves in thinking about cup final glory. “For now all our focus, though, must be on the Celtic game. They have been doing quite well this year. They lost the game against Polokwane City recently, but that will just want to make them want to get back to winning ways. It’s going to be a tough one and we can’t afford any complacency.
“Recent results have obviously been important for us at this stage of the season. But we have not been at our very best. I think we have been lacking in the second half of matches – we play well in the first, and then fall apart a bit in the second. It’s something we have to work on at training, and the coach has pointed it out – hopefully we can find more consistency in the next game, and beyond,” he explained.
The young Ajax leader admits though that he would love to leave a trophy legacy at the club that helped develop him into a professional footballer.
“I haven’t won anything for Ajax, I haven’t achieved anything yet. So hopefully for me, this is my chance, we have a great opportunity to do well in the Nedbank Cup. Just to lead the guys is an honour, and to be where we are in the league is a great achievement so far, but hopefully we can push and do better.
“On Friday night before the game I will be telling my teammates just to give their 100 percent, to do it for the club, and for the fans. At the end of the match once we walk off the pitch, they must just be able to say that they have given everything – blood and sweat, everything.”