Parker Recalls Chiefs’ Nedbank Cup Heartbre…

Bernard Parker arrival for the Betway Premiership match between Orlando Pirates and TS Galaxy

Former Kaizer Chiefs striker Bernard Parker has reflected on one of the most shocking moments in Nedbank Cup history – when the Soweto giants were stunned by lower-division outfit TS Galaxy in the 2019 final.

Parker was part of the Chiefs side that went into the match as favourites, with Galaxy competing in the National First Division at the time.

However, the Mpumalanga-based outfit pulled off a famous upset to lift the trophy at the iconic Moses Mabhida Stadium.

Read: Bafana, Porto, Pirates: Benni Names His Three Greatest Goals

Now serving as assistant coach at Galaxy, Parker revisited that painful memory while speaking during a Nedbank Cup press conference in Johannesburg on Thursday ahead of the club’s quarterfinal clash against amateur side Jacksa Spears this weekend.

“I was playing for the current Nedbank Cup champions then, and TS Galaxy was plying their trade in the NFD,” Parker recalled.

“TS Galaxy came out victorious in that final at Moses Mabhida Stadium. It’s just the magic of the Nedbank Cup, and surprises will always come up.”

Galaxy’s triumph remains one of the biggest giant-killings in South African football, with Parker acknowledging how the nature of the competition often produces unexpected results.

“For us it’s about how you deal within the moment and how you manage the game within the moment,” he explained.

“Unfortunately, then I was on the losing side, but now this time around I want to be on the winning side as a coach – to get the Nedbank Cup winning medal as a coach, which I know is possible and I believe is possible.”

Parker added that while the club has changed significantly since that famous triumph, a few key figures still connect the current squad with the historic 2019 victory.

“Within the members of TS Galaxy, we can say the longest-serving member is the chairman, who is the founder of the team,” he said, referring to club boss Tim Sukazi.

“But as far as I remember, only Macbeth Mahlangu, our centre-back, was part of that squad.”

Galaxy Focused On Repeating History

According to Parker, the majority of the current players have not yet experienced success with Galaxy, which adds further motivation for the team as they chase another memorable cup run.

“The rest of the guys are fairly new, and they haven’t tasted success yet from TS Galaxy,” he said.

“The main importance for us as a club is to make sure that we can repeat history, but to do that we must take it game by game.”

Drawing from his experience as a former professional and senior player, Parker believes his role within the technical team is to help players manage key phases of matches.

“From my experience as a former player, bringing that onto the players will assist a lot,” he explained.

“It’s also about making sure the senior players take charge of the game, control certain moments and enhance the moments that can help us win the match.”

Read: City Returning? 5 Key Points to Citizens’ Turnaround

Galaxy’s immediate focus is their upcoming quarterfinal clash against Spears, a team Parker admits the club had limited information about initially.

“About Jacksa Spears, we didn’t have much info at first, but we have a top analyst team,” he said.

“They made the necessary steps to get footage from them, and I think we are satisfied with the information we have gathered.”

With the analysis done, Parker believes the key now lies in ensuring the players are fully prepared.

“As a technical team we are well prepared. It’s just to make the players aware and alert about what they might expect on the day,” he said.

Photo by Phakamisa Lensman/BackpagePix 

Related tags