Vardy proves there’s quality in lower leagues

Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy has the English Premier League mesmerised by his sensational goal-scoring exploits.

Footballers mature at a different pace. Some peak at a young age, others take time and get better with age.

Jamie Vardy is certainly of the latter variety. Now 28 years old, the Leicester City striker has the English Premier League mesmerised by his sensational goal-scoring exploits.

At the weekend, in a 1-1 draw with Manchester United, Englishman Vardy scored for the 11th successive league match to surpass the record previously held by Dutch great Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Vardy was playing non-league football for Fleetwood Town in 2012 before being plucked from obscurity by Leicester – and it’s turned out to be an inspired move.

The Sheffield-born striker may not be as gifted as Sergio Aguero or Luis Suarez, but he has other strengths that lift him above the average.

His blinding speed is the stuff of nightmares for defenders, while his persistence and perseverance often get him into great scoring positions. While others may stop chasing, Vardy doesn’t know the meaning of giving up.

But, for football clubs, the main lesson to be taken from Vardy’s rise is to never forget to scout in the lower divisions. Today’s game is obsessed with development and there is sometimes the belief that, if a player doesn’t come through by the age of 18 or 19, well, then that’s it – let’s forget about him and focus on the younger crop.

But, as suggested, those same footballers so cruelly discarded often mature and, as time passes, they find their potential and turn into top-class players, with Vardy as a classic example.

Locally, it’s no different. I remember back in the mid-1990s, after Santos were relegated from the top-flight and we were playing in the First Division, we came up against a brilliant team of young, emerging footballers at Durban-based African Wanderers – Sibusiso Zuma, Siyabonga Nomvethe and Phumlani Mkhize.

Zuma was snapped up by Orlando Pirates and would go on to forge a successful career in Denmark and Germany. Nomvethe was signed by Kaizer Chiefs and he, too, would make an impact in Europe in Italy and Sweden, while Mkhize went on to play for both Pirates and Chiefs.

In 2002, at a little-known lower division team called Mother City, Thembinkosi “Terror” Fanteni was banging in goals with abandon. Ajax Cape Town took a chance on him and he emulated his lower-tier scoring feats in the top division, as well as overseas in Israel with Maccabi Haifa.

And what about those famous Liverpool sides of the 1970s? Kevin Keegan came up from unknown Scunthorpe United to become a world star. Right back Phil Neal, from Northampton to one of the most decorated defenders in England. And there’s still more… Ian Rush (Chester City) and Alan Hansen (Partick Thistle).

The point being hammered home every week, and every time Vardy nets a goal, is that there are players lurking in the lower divisions who have the potential and the quality to achieve greatness at a higher level. They just need the opportunity. - Cape Times