/ 12 July 2007

Meiring settles in at Swallows

Former Golden Arrows striker Alton Meiring has joined Moroka Swallows at their pre-season camp and impressed coach Ian Gorowa so much that he will travel to Germany with the squad to play in the inaugural Volkswagen Cup.

Swallows will face Vfl Wolfsburg next Wednesday in a tournament sponsored by the German car manufacturer, which also sponsors both teams.

Meiring was delighted that Gorowa had included him to face the Germans next Wednesday.

”The vibe is really good here and I am enjoying training,” he said. ”Obviously I want to impress the coach and he has rewarded me by including me as part of the team to travel to Germany. It’s definitely a good sign and I believe there is more to come.

Meiring was a tad frustrated during his time at Arrows as he did not get the game time he deserved. With Swallows looking for capable strikers, the former Mamelodi Sundowns and Mother City forward made his intentions clear at the Dube Birds’ pre-season camp.

”Mabhuti [Khanyeza] and I were not even paired at training during the last season and I did not understand why,” he lamented. ”We had a good relationship and understood each other very well. I will definitely miss playing alongside him, but this is football and we have to move on.

The 31-year-old only made four starts for Abafana Bes’thende last season and scored for them three times. ”It was tough sitting on bench knowing that I could contribute positively to the team. Unfortunately they did not see it that way and I asked to leave.”

With Gorowa having joined Swallows recently too, Meiring is confident the rookie coach will see his potential and that he will get more game time from the former Ajax Cape Town assistant coach.

”Ian has to make a good impression and so do I; we both have to establish ourselves at this club and so far I think he is doing well.

”There are good players on the team and hopefully soon I’ll establish a good relationship with the strikers so that we can score goals and win games for the club,” Meiring said.

He stressed the importance of playing for the Soweto club. ”Swallows have been around for a long time and their fans deserve more, and hopefully I can be a part of the team that brings them joy.”

Swallows leave for Germany on Sunday and will also face Scottish outfit Hearts during their stay in Germany. — Sapa