Fish hails Bafana’s resurgence

MARK Fish was one in a million. He didn’t carve out an illustrious career from the mid to late 90s, but he partied as hard as he worked on the pitch.

- MIHLALI BALEKA.

A career path honed in the parks of Arcadia in Pretoria took Fish to the limelight of topflight club Jomo Cosmos. That became the breakthrough he needed, as he spent only one season at Ezenkosi before moving to Soweto giants Orlando Pirates in 1993.

In a club that was largely Black-dominated, Fish overcame that barrier to instantly become one with the team. He didn’t rely on handouts; instead, he let his game do the talking and established himself. And boy, it did. He won the league title in his debut season at the club, etching his name among the hard-nosed defenders of the league thanks to his work ethic, resilience and aggression.

That was the perfect foundation for Fish and his teammates to build on. They returned to Africa and conquered, winning the club’s maiden — and only - CAF Champions League crown in 1995.

Fish’s tactical acumen caught the eye of national team coach Clive Barker, and under his tutelage, Fish and his teammates celebrated the national team’s four-year readmission into international football with their maiden Africa Cup of Nations title on home soil in 1996.