IN SAFE HANDS

Goalkeeper Darren Keet is back between the sticks for Cape Town City and has recaptured some of his best form in the 2022/23 season. He tells Nick Said about his injury nightmare and national-team ambitions.

- Nick Said

Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Darren Keet made his longawaited return to the Cape Town City side at the start of this season and took over the No 1 jersey after the abrupt exit of Angolan Hugo Marques.

It ended nine months of injury frustration for the gloveman, who is now hoping to make up for lost time and regain his national team place.

That will be easier said than done, but his form for City in the current campaign has been excellent and the 33-year-old is among the top keepers in the DStv Premiership this season.

Keet is just relieved to be back on the field and is now looking forward to getting his career back on track after a debilitating thigh muscle injury.

"It was one of those where I wasn't quite aware of how bad it was or how bad it would be," Keet told SoccerClub. "And I just carried on as normal, hoping it would get better, but it never did. Eventually I went for an MRI scan and all the necessary X-rays and stuff.

"And after consulting two or three different doctors, just to make sure, we eventually figured out that it was an injury that needed an operation with a six- to seven-month recovery time. With the whole process, it was nine months."