Bright desperate to get Isaacs fit for derby
Santos are working against the clock to get star striker Erwin Isaacs fit in time to face neighbours Ajax Cape Town in Thursday's crucial Absa Premiership clash at Athlone Stadium.
The absence of the club's top goal-scorer due to an abdominal strain has clearly blunted the People's Team's strike force in recent outings, leaving striker partner Eleazar Rodgers to scrap for possession which, it must be said, he normally uses to great effect.
"We are hoping to get (Erwin) fit for the derby," said coach David Bright on Sunday after his side had blown their league championship aspirations with a 1-1 draw against relegation-haunted Thanda Royal Zulu. "You could see how we missed him out there. He would make a huge difference to our play on (Thursday)."
The Santos mentor warned that, due to the clubs' respective log positions, the derby is bound to be a hotly contested affair with no quarter likely to be asked or given.
It is shaping as the derby of mindsets and mental toughness, and Bright and counterpart Craig Rosslee are challenged to come up with the dream game plan.
Ajax, for example, will be suffering from a massive hangover following their 5-0 annihilation by Mount Cameroon in Sunday's Caf Cup second-leg tie in Douala.
The Urban Warriors lost 6-5 on aggregate to bomb out of the lucrative competition, and despite having fielded mostly fringe players, the effect of losing out on much-needed exposure in the continental showpiece would have a negative effect on team spirit.
Ajax can still lift the coveted league trophy with wins over Santos and Golden Arrows, but only if log leaders SuperSport United, buoyed by Saturday's near-miraculous come-from-behind 4-2 win over Moroka Swallows, let slip their priceless one-point lead in the final straight.
The Cape club would also have been gutted by the result at the Super Stadium in Atteridgeville as United looked like losers for most of that encounter.
Can Rosslee now lift his charges to a derby win and thus crown a remarkable debut season as coach in the top flight with a grand-stand finish which would at the very least secure a Champions League slot for next season?
Not if Bright has a say in the matter, because he too is determined to grab the runners-up crown for a club which earlier in the season appeared doomed to another struggle among the Premiership's basement dwellers.
Ajax boss John Comitis added his voice to the debate of mindsets, arguing that something would give in the Santos changeroom as a result of them having lost out in the championship race.
"It's only natural that the mood drops when your season changes in a matter of 90 minutes," he said. "Whereas only a match ago they were playing for the big prize, they now have to set their sights lower - and even second spot is dependent upon them beating us on top of collecting maximum points in their last outing, and then still we have to lose our final match."
The Ajax chairperson added: "Something's going to go in that changeroom. They will be a nervous lot come Thursday."
But truth be told, Santos have looked highly impressive when they had both Rodgers and Isaacs tormenting the opposition with their tireless running and composed finishing.
This Week's Fixtures
Wednesday: Free Stars Stars v Orlando Pirates, Jomo Cosmos v Black Leopards, AmaZulu v Moroka Swallows, SuperSport United v Golden Arrows, Thanda Royal Zulu v Wits University, Kaizer Chiefs v Bloemfontein Celtic.
Thursday: Ajax Cape Town v Santos, Platinum Stars v Mamelodi Sundowns.