Chappies sets sights on Bafana
Former Benoni Northerns football player Ryan “Chappies” Chapman is a player with his head in the right place.
The striker, who now plies his trade as a professional for Bidvest Wits in the Premier Soccer League (PSL), is clear in his goals and is hoping to stay away from the medical treatment table this season in order to reach his targets.
His first order of business is helping his club reach the MTN 8 final, a task that is already difficult following a 4-2 defeat to Platinum Stars in the first leg of the semi-finals in Rustenburg in August.
The second leg will be played at Bidvest Stadium on September 24 and the player firmly believes that Wits will be a force to be reckoned with at home.
Chappies is also confident that his side are a big threat in the PSL and could prove a lot of the doubters wrong.
“We have a new coach, Gavin Hunt, who has won the title before and knows what it takes to win it,” he said.
“We also have a few new good players as well as players who have remained from last season.”
When asked what goes through his head before playing a professional soccer match he said: “To be honest nothing really.
“When I was younger I would stress a lot but nowadays I basically switch off and go into another zone.”
He added that his goals for this season include being a regular in the Wits starting line up and achieving a call up to the Bafana Bafana team.
Chappies made his debut for the senior national team in January 2012 against Equatorial Guinea and is eager to return to the Bafana Bafana set-up.
When asked what makes a top quality striker Chapman said: “I think composure and sharpness.
“When everything is hectic in a match you need to stay composed and try keep things calm.
“Sometimes you don’t get a lot of touches in a match so it is important to stay focused throughout so that you can take an opportunity when it suddenly presents itself.”
The goal scorer speaks fondly of his time playing for Benoni Northerns and said that he is still very close with some of his former team-mates and visits Benoni every other weekend.
In one season he scored over 50 goals for the Colts and Senior side.
“It was such an awesome season and one that I will never forget,” he added.
He thanked everybody who helped him on his journey as an amateur to the trials and tribulations of professional soccer.
