Lee-Raoul Langeveldt is back as the first-choice goalkeeper for Stellenbosch FC and in his first two Premiership appearances brought stability to a defence that had been under the cosh.
Stellies won both matches against Highlands Park (4-1) and Baroka FC (1-0) to move up to 11th place on the standings.
The veteran shot-stopper was on the bench for the first round of 15 games that saw Stellies at the wrong end of the table and in desperate need of a change in fortunes.
While the men from the Winelands with Boy de Jong in goal ended last year with a 1-0 victory away to fellow strugglers Baroka, things took a turn for the worse at the start of 2020 when they lost two home fixtures on the bounce to Bidvest Wits (2-0) and Bloemfontein Celtic (2-1).
Head coach Steve Barker reacted by dropping De Jong and turning to a man who played a pivotal role for the club in last season’s National First Division that they ended up winning to gain passage to the PSL.
Born and raised in Stellenbosch, the 33-year-old was at his best last time out at Athlone Stadium pulling off a string of world-class saves against Baroka, one from point-blank range. Barker has been singing his gloveman’s praises in the build-up to Saturday’s home clash with Polokwane City at the Cape Town Stadium (3.30pm kickoff).
“Lee’s a keeper with the strongest throw, the toughest wrists and can anticipate and react to threats before they present themselves. He is a local lad, a club legend. For sure he’s got a lot more to offer as the season approaches a critical stage. But De Jong is not out of the picture, he’s a youngster we signed before our campaign got underway. He’s talented and I’m sure will continue to work hard and keep Lee on his toes.
“There are a host of sides around us on the table fighting to stay clear of the danger zone and we are only four points better off than last-placed AmaZulu who are on 17, so we cannot afford any slip-ups if we want to hold onto our top-tier status,” he added.
Langeveldt has taken his chance with both hands but knows he’s only as good as his last game.
“I’ve been around long enough to know this. It is never easy being second-choice after helping the team win promotion, but I respected the coach’s decision. I had good support from the team and management. They always encouraged me to stay positive and work hard for when the opportunity comes. It arrived against Highlands and we scored a big win on the road, then did the double over Baroka.
“I was just happy to be in the right place at the right time with some of the saves,” he said. “I knew keeping a clean sheet was vital for us to win the match so staying calm and focussed was important but at the same time I had a solid defence too. Now for a shot at a hat-trick of wins against Polokwane who we beat in the first round for a maiden victory in the competition.”