Former Bafana Bafana player and current UJ coach, Bradley Carnell is looking to carry his side’s league form into their debut year in Varsity Football.
Carnell has a few concerns in that his players off-season lasted less than two weeks but hopes that by adding new players, he will avoid burning them out.
“It’s not a point of getting fit but rather not burning any of the players out with overkill after a hectic league season. That is why we have brought in some new players to add depth,” he said.
Having played in Germany for most of his career, you would be forgiven for thinking that he would try to get UJ to adopt the same game-plan as the current world champions. However, he has rather placed the focus on getting his players to adopt some of his personal characteristics.
“I have always placed massive emphasis on my personal discipline in my playing days. I would like my players to place a high value on discipline, as well as playing the game with a never-give-up attitude,” he added.
UJ have drawn on expertise and advice from numerous current and former PSL coaches and advisors, one of which is current Bloemfontein Celtic coach, Ersnt Middendorp.
“It’s great to have someone like Ernst who I can exchange ideas with. He has taken a keen interest in my career and because of that, I value his opinion,” Carnell said.
The Johannesburg side is trying to avoid complacency at all costs and have played vital friendly games against various PSL sides, which has proved to help some players realise that they are not on the same level as their professional counterparts.
Carnell isn’t going to apply the pressure of expectations on his players as he feels they have enough to deal with as it is.
“Each player will have his own pressures to work through, then there’s the pressure of performing under me and also the pressure on the field during the match itself,” he said
UJ is in high spirits in the lead up to the tournament and their coach hopes that they learn from the experience.
“I just want my boys to learn the ropes in their first year in the competition and see where we go. Hopefully there are a few surprises along the way,” he added
