Cape Town - The loss of Granwald Scott has thrust added responsibility on to the young shoulders of Ajax Cape Town skipper Travis Graham.
The 28-year-old Scott last week landed a transfer to top Slovakian club, Slovan Bratislava, and his absence leaves a gaping hole in the Cape side’s engine-room in midfield. The pugnacious midfielder from Factreton was the driving force of the team – but, now, the baton for inspiring the players has been handed on to Graham,.
The 22-year-old Graham wished Scott the best of everything after achieving a life-long dream of playing in Europe and he acknowledged the role his former teammate played in preparing him for football in the PSL.
Ajax have two tough league fixtures looming this week – and Graham’s leadership is going to be crucial if the Capetonians are to emerge with something positive. Tonight, they are in Soweto to take on Orlando Pirates (7.30pm) and, on Sunday, they face SuperSport United in Pretoria (3.30pm).
“When I first joined the PSL squad as a teenager, it was Scotty (Granwald Scott) who looked after me and showed me the ropes,” said Graham. “When I was a kid in the Ajax academy, I always admired Scotty and the way he played… and I always hoped that I would one day be a teammate of his.
“He played a huge role in the team and it’s a big loss now that he’s gone. But we’re proud of him and wish him the best on his new journey. I’ve certainly learnt a lot from him, but the one thing that stands out is that he always kept on fighting… that was his best attribute, he never gave up.”
Since winning the MTN8 in September last year, Ajax have struggled with consistency. This year has been no different. Already, so far, they have registered one defeat, a draw and two wins. On the plus side, the last game was a 1-0 success over Golden Arrows – and the Capetonians are keen on maintaining that winning momentum when they face Pirates this evening.
The problem at the root of Ajax’s erratic form is their inability to score goals. Graham agrees: “I think we are not clinical enough… each and every game we have so many scoring chances, but do not convert them. And then we make silly errors and the opponents capitalise on that.”
Ajax defeated Arrows last week without the presence of Graham (he was serving a one-game suspension), but the captain is now eager to make a contribution.
“I’m proud of the guys, they played well against Arrows and, importantly, we got the three points,” said Graham. “Now, against Pirates, the fixture will definitely be a challenging one. The fact that Pirates are not doing too well in the league means nothing… they will see us as an opportunity to turn their season around.
“From past experience, we know it’s not easy at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto, but we’ll be giving our best, like we always do.
“We are still taking things one game at a time… that has always been our philosophy and we won’t change it. We also always go into a fixture in a positive frame of mind and that is to try and win… tonight will be no different, we’ll go out there and try to get the three points.”
Graham says he has also been very impressed with new signing, Lawrence Lartey. The 22-year-old Ghanaian central defender was brought into the team this year and has hardly looked out of place. In the win over Arrows at the Cape Town Stadium last week, Lartey’s defensive contribution was recognised when he was named the man of the match.
“Lawrence is adapting nicely… he’s obviously still getting used to us as teammates and also our style of play. Individually, though, I think he has done very well. He wins important challenges and, with Rivaldo (Coetzee) alongside him, I’m sure he will become a key player for us.”
This week’s PSL fixtures
Wednesday: University of Pretoria v Free State Stars; Orlando Pirates v Ajax Cape Town (Orlando Stadium, 7.30pm); Bloemfontein Celtic v SuperSport United; Wits v Platinum Stars; Polokwane City v Maritzburg Utd
Saturday: Golden Arrows v Wits; Black Aces v Bloem Celtic; Kaizer Chiefs v Maritzburg Utd; University of Pretoria v Orlando Pirates; Chippa United v Jomo Cosmos
Sunday: SuperSport United v Ajax Cape Town (Atteridgeville, 3.30pm); Free State Stars v Mamelodi Sundowns; Platinum Stars v Polokwane City
Cape Argus