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Former Black Leopards manager Johnson eyeing PSL return next season
The former Lidoda Duvha manager says he has no offers as yet but hopes to bounce back to the technical area
Former Black Leopards coach Cavin Johnson says he hopes to return to the technical area next season as he has no offers on the table because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Johannesburg-born manager says due to the lockdown, the transfer market is quiet as clubs prefer to cut costs considering the fact the ravaging pandemic has brought about financial implications.
Johnson parted ways with Lidoda Duvha in the middle of the current campaign and was replaced by his assistant manager Allan Clark who is looking to save the Thohoyandou-based outfit from relegation.
“I'm on lockdown like everybody else. The teams are using what they have to make sure they survive as you know this is a challenging period for everyone,” Johnson told Goal.
“Once the lockdown ends and everything else returns to normal, we will see what happens. There are no offers as yet for me. Hopefully [I can return next season], we hope so."
The 61-year-old former AmaZulu manager took over at Leopards in December when he replaced Luc Eymael who is now in charge of Tanzanian giants, Young Africans SC.
Formerly in charge of Platinum Stars, Johnson returned to top-flight football for the first time since September after he was released by Durban-based AmaZulu.
In the wake of his departure from the Venda-based Premier Soccer League (PSL) club in February, Leopards announced Clark as his successor on a caretaker basis until the end of the season, but the experienced manager is hopeful of a possible return to the elite division.
Staying with the former National First Division (NFD) outfit, players such as former Mamelodi Sundowns winger Mogakolodi Ngele, reported Brazilians' target Lesedi Kapinga, as well as ex-Dikwena anchorman Robert Ng'ambi and Tshwarelo Bereng were retained on short-term deals until the end of the 2019/20 campaign.
As things stand, Leopards occupy 16th spot on the PSL log table with 20 points from 24 matches and their mission is to salvage their top-flight status once the season resumes next month since it was halted in March.
On the other hand, the former SuperSport United manager has endured tough times in the current campaign as he was sacked twice by Usuthu and Leopards but hopes his agent will pull all the stops and find a job for him.
