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In his heyday, George Dearnaley menaced defenders, and some of those who incurred his wrath back in the day included a watertight Kaizer Chiefs rearguard.
Dearnaley was part of a group of little-known players who came to prominence with the AmaZulu side that upstaged Amakhosi in the 1992 Coca-Cola Cup final.
The 49-year-old is back in the spotlight, this time as the technical director of ABC Motsepe League outfit Magic FC, the last amateur side standing in the Nedbank Cup.
With someone like Dearnaley, who knows exactly what a victory over Chiefs tastes like, the team can’t ask for any better inspiration in their Ke Yona Last 16 tie in Port Elizabeth today.
“I said to our boys that football can create magic; that I made memories as the game has given me a good life and great friends,” said the former Bafana Bafana marksman, who doubles as co-owner of Magic.
“I always use our former player Tapelo Nyongo as a model for my players – when a young boy from a township can turn professional, it’s an inspiring story.”
Nyongo (24) is on AmaZulu’s books in the premier division.
Dearnaley said his aspiring magicians should use the game to fuel their dreams beyond just the cup meeting at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium this afternoon.
“The players must embrace the chance to play at a World Cup stadium against the biggest club in the country,” he said.
“I said to them the other day: ‘Think about this if you get promoted – you’ll get to play teams of this quality week in week out.’”
Even though they are campaigning in the third-tier league in the country, not all of Magic’s players are greenhorns.
The team has experienced campaigners such as former SuperSport United midfielder Thando Mngomeni, as well as former South African junior international and Orlando Pirates midfielder Tshepiso Tshabalala (now Tlhapi).
Dearnaley’s only concern is that many of his club’s members love Chiefs.
“This could result into some of my novices being starstruck. I’ve got a player who is a die-hard Khama Billiat fan, but I told him that he can either get nervous or motivated and play his socks off.”
Despite a gulf between the two sides in terms of stature, there are some elements that link Magic with Chiefs.
Their head coach, David Kannemeyer (41), won the league with Amakhosi during his spell with the club between 2001 and 2004.
And Magic’s co-owner, Miles October, played with Chiefs’ assistant coach Shaun Bartlett at amateur side Norway Park in Maitland, Cape Town.
En route to reaching this stage, Magic eliminated NFD campaigners Maccabi FC on penalties, while Amakhosi laboured to a 1-0 win over third-division side Tornado FC from the Eastern Cape.
Dearnaley said his side drew inspiration from Tornado for holding off the Soweto powerhouse in the game that was settled by a goal in extra time.
“Chiefs are now wide awake to what ABC Motsepe teams can do,” said Dearnaley, a former league top scorer, jointly on 20 goals with Mark Williams, who was at the now defunct Hellenic at the time.
Amakhosi, who last won the Ke Yona cup in 2013, have an embarrassing history of being eliminated by minnows in this competition.
. Meanwhile, the PSL has announced that the washed-out Nedbank Cup Last 16 fixture between Black Leopards and Bidvest Wits will be replayed tomorrow.
The fixture, which was abandoned on Wednesday because of heavy rain and an unplayable Thohoyandou Stadium pitch, will be played at the same venue.
The Leopards’ lead (1-0) has been annulled and the game will be started afresh. It kicks off at 6pm.
