Special Amakhosi reunion of Class of ‘89. Photo: Twitter
Shongwe reflects on Bailey ‘rivalry’ at Chiefs that became a friendship
William Shongwe has shared special memories of his ‘unexpected’ friendship with legendary footballer Gary Bailey at Kaizer Chiefs.
Special Amakhosi reunion of Class of ‘89. Photo: Twitter
Members of the Kaizer Chiefs 1989 quadruple-winning team recently got together for a reunion some 33 years after that phenomenal season.
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When Gary Bailey arrived at Kaizer Chiefs in 1988, the omens looked bleak for William Shongwe. ‘Cool Cat’ was every bit the world-class keeper himself, but here came a Manchester United legend and England FIFA World Cup international to Naturena – and all expectations were that the axe was about to fall on Shongwe.
Rather than a bitter “rivalry” the most extraordinary bond developed between the two keepers, which is as strong as ever to this day.
Bailey was the first-choice Chiefs keeper when he signed for the club in 1988, but when he went on an extended honeymoon after his wedding he returned to find Shongwe having made the number one spot his own, as the Swazi international joked that he had “put the Manchester United and England international on the bench”.
Chiefs coach Jeff Butler pulled off a masterstroke in rotating the keepers in Chiefs’ historic quadruple winning season in 1989 in which Amakhosi won the league title, the BP Top 8, JPS Knockout Cup and the Champion of Champions Trophy.
Chiefs used three different goalkeepers in 1989, with Bailey playing in 28 games in all competitions, while Shongwe featured in 16 games and Bryan Parry played in five games.
Shongwe and Bailey were reunited this weekend when Kaizer Chiefs hosted a reunion of the Class of ’89 at the Nelson Mandela Foundation
Shongwe spoke warmly at the reunion of his happiness of competing with Bailey for the number one position and how it made him a better goalkeeper.
“When Gary came people were saying that he would be replacing me in 1988. But I was in awe of him and I learnt from him. He taught me techniques around how to best catch the ball. He was a hero of mine and we had a good friendship, which went beyond just being teammates. The current job I have (as an analyst and commentator) at SuperSport, it was Gary who assisted me in getting there,” Shongwe said of the special bond between the Chiefs teammates.
Amazingly, ‘Cool Cat’ Shongwe won nine cup trophies while with the Amakhosi from 1986 to 1992, not losing a single cup final when between the posts.
“Winning cups was the culture at Chiefs,” the former goalkeeper reflects on his record, “and the challenge for me was to make sure that culture continued.”
