Goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi has detailed how his abrupt shift from the now-defunct Moroka Swallows to Marumo Gallants affected his game.
The 38-year-old is one of the players who crossed floors to Marumo Gallants when they acquired Swallows’ PSL franchise. However, the Nigerian goalie has not enjoyed much game time, with just six Betway Premiership appearances under his belt.
Simply put, he has played second fiddle to Zimbabwean Washington Arubi, who has been preferred even before Abdeslam Ouaddou replaced Dan Malesela.
As such, Akpeyi is first to admit that his transition from The Dube Birds to Siwelele Sa Marumo was not smooth sailing.
‘IT HAS BEEN A LEARNING CURVE’, SAYS GOALKEEPER AKPEYI
In an interview with FARPost, the former Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper said his move to Gallants has been a learning curve of resilience and patience.
“You know, moving from Swallows to Marumo was not easy. That switch had its own challenges in terms of adjusting and learning the new environment. Those developments were so fast,” Akpeyi told FARPost.
“I can say it took a lot and has shown that as players, we will always have a lot to learn. The transition was not how I envisioned it. And if I am to move at the end of the season, I will take so many lessons with me. If I stay put, then it will be another journey of learning.”
Akpeyi is concerned with Gallants’ current situation as they have yet to ascertain their survival in the Betway Premiership.
“This is the first time that I have been in this situation. I have never been here [relegation fight], but I think we have a coach [Ouaddou] that knows what he is doing,” he added.
“This is a period of uncertainty, but I am convinced that our win against Kaizer Chiefs gave us confidence. We can only hope the next games will give us similar results. As an individual, I have never been in a situation where we reach the last four games facing an uncertain future.”
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