Former Cape Town Spurs goalkeeper coach Calvin Marlin has shed light on the factors that contributed to the club’s relegation from the DStv Premiership.
Spurs bounced back to the SA top-flight after five seasons through the PSL Promotion/Relegation playoffs. They were relegated in the 2017/18 campaign.
The Capetonians didn’t have a great return as they struggled for form and consistency throughout the season. Firstly, they were led by former Bafana Bafana striker Shaun Bartlett. However, he was sacked in October 2023 following poor results. Marlin also left his post in October 2023.
Sean Connor then took charge on an interim basis before former Kaizer Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp was appointed as the head coach in November 2023.
Spurs were relegated with two matches remaining to finish the season. Their bad record has seen them collect only 20 points. They have managed to register five wins, and five draws and suffered a massive 19 defeats in the process.
They have been shaky at the back, conceding 43 goals which is the highest in the league. In front of goal, they have been struggling also, only scoring 21 times which is the league’s lowest.
In an attempt to survive, the Cape Town outfit brought in some experienced players to their team. This includes the likes of Bradley Ralani, Siphesihle Maduna, Keagan Buchanan, Gadiel Michael, Rafiq De Goede, Thato Mokeke and Derwin Farmer.
CALVIN MARLIN REVEALS REASONS BEHIND CAPE TOWN SPURS’ DOWNFALL
The 48-year-old says the root cause of the club’s relegation is poor recruitment of players. The club depended too much on youngsters who didn’t have too much experience playing in the top-tier league.
“At the start of the season they didn’t have many experienced players in the team,” Marlin told FARPost. “Look, they had many youngsters and many veteran players in the squad.
“The team gained promotion through the playoffs, that also tells you that they struggled to get promotion. So for them to survive it was going to be very difficult.
“They signed great players to beef up the team and even in the January [transfer] window they did add some players but it didn’t work out for the club.”
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