Mere sees great things from Platinum
IF YOU are good enough you are old enough and so it is often argued in the world of sports.
And this saying rings true to Platinum Stars captain Vuyo Mere, who has backed the club’s young new recruits to hit the ground running in the new season.
“Dikwena” raised some eyebrows when they re-signed back 36-yearold Henrico Botes from Bidvest Wits, but most of their 13 new signings are in fact youngsters from the club’s academy.
Mere, 32, has witnessed football evolve over the years since he made his PSL debut as a 17-year-old at the now defunct Hellenic in 2001.
The veteran defender has argued that Platinum Stars’ approach in refreshing the squad with U20s such as Nhlakanipho Duma, Katlego Khunou, Gift Links and Kamohelo Mathe is not a gamble.
“It is going to a be a challenge for the senior players to guide the younger ones, but what I like about them is that they are willing to learn and they are hard workers,” Mere told the Dispatch.
“Once we step on to that field, we want to put them in a situation where they know that they are no longer youngsters. Everybody has to do their part to make sure we win games,” he continued.
“I believe they are there because they deserve to be there. It is not by luck or fluke. They deserve to be there and it is not because they are favoured or something... If we can do our part as seniors and they do their part, I think we are going to achieve our goals,” he added.
And while Stars are pretty much a work in progress, the team they play tonight at Royal Bafokeng Stadium, SuperSport United, are looking to win the league title this season.
Midfielder Dean Furman believes that new signings such as Reneilwe Letsholonyane will have a big role to play this season.
“We’ve made a number of signings and all of them have added quality to the squad. ‘Yeye’ has been there and he has a number of titles in the bag. He knows what it takes to win the title and that experience will be invaluable to us,” said Furman.
“I believe we can (win the league). We want to be challenging on all fronts. We want to be up there and that has to be the number one goal this season. We should not settle for being second best,” he added.
When the two sides met last season, Dikwena prevailed 3-1 at Lucas Moripe Stadium in September and Matsatsantsa won the second round encounter 2-0 at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in April.