Johannesburg — Brandon Peterson has credited his tenacity and work ethic as the fuel that has driven him to the top.
That’s why after playing second fiddle to some of the most decorated keepers in the land, he’s pleased that his hard work is finally paying off.
Kaizer Chiefs and Ajax Cape Town have produced some of the finest goalkeepers this country has ever seen. Their youth products, Itumelend Khune and Moeneeb Josephs were No.1 and No.2 for Bafana Bafana at the 2010 World Cup.
Peterson, though, has been privileged to get a feel of the two clubs. He cut his teeth in Ajax’s academy before being promoted to the seniors. And last term, he joined Chiefs after spending a year on the side-lines due to the club's transfer ban.
But his rise at club level hasn’t been easier. Peterson also had to shadow then Bafana No.2, Darren Keet, at Bidvest Wits before climbing up the hierarchy to share the spot as first choice with Ricardo Goss until the club was sold three seasons back.
“As a pro footballer in South Africa you want to play for the big teams. For me, I like to be in the mix with some of the best. That makes me better. That pushes me and I am pushing them. It’s been about working on my craft,” Peterson said on Thursday.
But, joining Chiefs seemed as if he was setting himself up for another deputy role as the club already had Bafana’s Khune, Bruce Bvuma and Nigeria’s Daniel Akpeyi. However, since the new year, Peterson has emerged as the first choice.
“You only play the way you train. I think it’s very important, especially for a goalkeeper, to always be ready because you never know what might happen. I think everyone has been doing well: Daniel, Itu and Bruce,” the 27-year-old said.
“I think at the end of the day, healthy competition is good for us. You take one out and put the other one in and he does the same job. So, I think it’s good competition and whoever the coach selects is more than capable of doing the job.”
Despite the host of signings they made during pre-season, including the return of coach Stuart Baxter, Chiefs have failed to live up to expectations. They are on course to extend their trophy-less run to seven seasons, defying their "Cup Kings” tag.
But, despite losing out on the MTN8 and the Nedbank Cup, and, while they trail league leaders Mamelodi Sundowns by 19 points, Peterson says they’ll fight until the end. A fight that can be boosted by a victory in their pending arbitration case at SAFA.
“We feel for the fans, it’s obviously not nice being without a trophy for so long. From the old and new players, the aim is to win trophies. But sometimes you need some luck. But I feel for the fans, Chiefs is a big brand and a big club,” Peterson continued.
With Peterson adding, “there’s still a lot of games to play and a lot of points at stake, so, it’s not over until it’s over in the title race”, they’ll need to ensure that they claim full points against Baroka on Saturday to keep their faint hopes alive.
IOL Sport