Cape Town - Keagan Dolly has some unfinished work - and he is determined to achieve a sense of accomplishment before he leaves Ajax Cape Town at the end of this season.
The talented 21-year-old midfielder has already been bought by big-spending Mamelodi Sundowns, though he will be allowed to end the current campaign with Ajax on loan. There were suggestions of him moving to his new owners during last month’s transfer window, but that has been shelved. Dolly will finish the season with the Capetonians and then, next season, embark on what he sees as the biggest challenge of his career.
“I was glad that I was allowed to stay until the end of the season,” said Dolly. “I feel that I owe Ajax a lot. They gave me my start in professional football, a platform for me to play my football. I need to make a contribution to thank them for what they have done. Before I leave, I want to make sure that I have given the club my best.”
In saying that, though, Dolly is equally excited about next season, when he gets to join Sundowns, one of the Premier Soccer League’s (PSL) “big” clubs.
“It’ll be a real challenge for me,” he said. “But I think that in order to grow as a player I need to test myself. And, with Sundowns having so many big-name players, it’s the perfect opportunity for me to gauge where I am in my development as a footballer.”
Dolly is originally from Westbury in Joburg, the same township that Everton superstar Steven Pienaar hails from. The two charted almost identical junior career paths, playing for local community club Westbury Arsenal and then moving on to join the School of Excellence, a successful football establishment that has produced quite a few top players.
While Pienaar was spotted by Ajax and lured to the Mother City, before going on to achieve a stellar career in Europe, Dolly was poached by Sundowns. He was in the Pretoria team’s youth academy, until he, too, was later spotted by Ajax, and persuaded to come down to the Cape.
Dolly would make a sensational first-team appearance for Ajax, with a starring role in a friendly against English giants Manchester United at the Cape Town Stadium two years ago. He would go on to make an impact in the PSL, culminating in Sundowns being so impressed they eventually had to re-purchase a footballer who had been in their development system.
Earlier this season, Dolly’s eye-catching performances earned him a call-up to Shakes Mashaba’s Bafana Bafana squad. But, in football, tragedy is always never far away - it’s the nature of contact sport.
The creative star broke a toe in a freak training ground incident, resulting in him missing out on the final two months of Ajax’s campaign last year, as well as a place in Bafana’s Africa Cup of Nations squad.
“After I got injured at training, initially it didn’t look all that serious,” said Dolly. “But it got progressively worse and the doctor eventually said that the best solution was an operation. It was frustrating. I had the operation and was then out for quite a while, missing about eight games.
“As a footballer, it’s always tough on the sidelines. The previous season I had played almost every game, and now I was out, watching the team play without me. They did well, but fell away toward end of last year, when injuries started to take its toll on the squad.
“But I’m back now and I’m excited to get going. I know it’s my last few months here and I want to contribute to the team finishing as high possible.”
After a period of recuperation, Dolly got back into the swing of things last month when Ajax had friendlies against overseas opposition - German side Wolfsburg and Dutch team PEC Zwolle.
In addition, the Cape side had friendlies against all the Cape First Division teams, which allowed Dolly the opportunity to test the healing of the toe, and get some much-needed time in the middle.
The second half of the PSL gets under way on Wednesday, with Ajax home to Polokwane City at the Cape Town Stadium.
For the rest of the season, and the next one when he joins Sundowns, Dolly’s aim is focused on the national team.
“I have to get back into the Bafana set-up,” he said. “Like Rivaldo (Coetzee, his Ajax teammate), I want to be a regular in the squad.
And, for that, I need to keep playing well, and make sure that I am consistent in my performances.”
Weekend Argus