Bernard Parker knows the history that awaits tonight (Saturday) in the Nedbank Cup final at the Peter Mokaba Stadium as he looks to guide TS Galaxy to their second title but knows Durban City will provide a stern challenge to their ambitions.
The pair clash in the 2026 season decider at 6:00pm and Parker, having been thrust into the head coach role only last week, sees a sense of destiny.
He netted the winner for Kaizer Chiefs against SuperSport United in the 2013 decider and is now looking to become the first person to lift the trophy as both a player and a coach.
“I spoke to a good friend of mine, and I told him that it’s crazy how the universe designs things,” Parker told the Nedbank Cup website. “I scored the winner for us to lift the Nedbank Cup with Chiefs, and then I lost the final against TS Galaxy in 2019, also with Chiefs, at the same venue, the Moses Mabhida Stadium.
“And then years later, I find myself in this position, coaching TS Galaxy, who are the only club in the history of South African football and African football at large to win a cup like this while playing in a lower league.
“The universe has designed this. Nobody expected that I would be in this situation. It came as a shock, because people didn’t think that I would be taking charge of the Nedbank Cup final.
“But I am a servant of the game. That was the case when I was a player and it’s now the case as a coach.”
Parker made his bow as a head coach at the weekend in a 0-0 draw with Magesi FC in the league. It extended Galaxy’s poor run in that competition to no wins in 11 (D2 L9), in stark contrast to their fine form in the Nedbank Cup.
But Parker is confident they will rise to the challenge on Saturday.
“With everything that has been happening, the most important thing is knowing that we do have the quality, energy and, more importantly, character to turn things around,” he said.
“In a short space of time, we had to make sure that we got the players back to their best mentally and physically, while at the same time lifting the mood in the camp and the spirit of the players. It’s not easy for any coach to try and turn things around in a short space of time.
“But I am very happy that we have sorted things out with the change that I have brought into the team in terms of looking more solid, secure, and structured to make sure that we are a tough opponent to beat.”
Parker thanked Galaxy chairman Tim Sukazi for placing his trust in him, both as a player late in his career and now as head coach of the side, albeit on an interim basis.
“When I came knocking at his door after I left Chiefs in 2022, looking to play for the club, he said to me, ‘By all means,'” Parker said.
“I gave my all to the club as a player, from the experience, professionalism, and what I bring into the change room, because a lot of the players wanted to learn from me as well.
“He asked me to take over the DDC after I retired. That shows you that he has that trust and belief in me.
“Before I had even finished the season with the DDC, he promoted me to the first team, where I believe that I am contributing immensely in terms of the model of the club and how he wants to improve the young players and then sell them.
“When he said to me that he sees me taking over, it didn’t take me by surprise. I agreed and told him that we can do this together because we have come a long way.
“I am honoured and privileged to be at this club; we just have to take TS Galaxy to great heights.” – www.nedbankcup.co.za
- Bernard Parker knows the history that awaits tonight (Saturday) in the Nedbank Cup final at the Peter Mokaba Stadium as he looks to guide TS Galaxy to their second title but knows Durban City will provide a stern challenge to their ambitions.
- The pair clash in the 2026 season decider at 6:00pm and Parker, having been thrust into the head coach role only last week, sees a sense of destiny.
- He netted the winner for Kaizer Chiefs against SuperSport United in the 2013 decider and is now looking to become the first person to lift the trophy as both a player and a coach.
- “I spoke to a good friend of mine, and I told him that it’s crazy how the universe designs things,” Parker told the Nedbank Cup website.
- “I scored the winner for us to lift the Nedbank Cup with Chiefs, and then I lost the final against TS Galaxy in 2019, also with Chiefs, at the same venue, the Moses Mabhida Stadium.
