Morton stays on another year for Spurs’ return to big time
Midfielder not the only veteran club has decided to keep
Image: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix
Well-travelled midfielder Michael Morton has narrated how Cape Town Spurs’ recent promotion back to the Premiership delayed his decision to hang up his boots.
Morton, 34, played a crucial role to help Spurs reclaim their slot in the elite league via winning the play-offs, having finished as the runners-up behind Polokwane City in the Motsepe Foundation Champions. The Urban Warriors were contesting the play-offs with Maritzburg United and Casric Stars.
“Look, I had discussions with the club bosses, just before the play-offs basically. The essence of those negotiations was to look at the fact that there was a clause in my contract that said I was going to play another year in the NFD (National First Division) if we didn’t get promoted,” Morton told Sowetan yesterday.
“I said to the management, ‘look, I don’t think I can play another season in the NFD (second-tier division operating with commercial name Motsepe Foundation Championship)…I’ve spent three years down here’.
"I already had discussions with my family and we decided that if it’s going to be another season in the NFD, I was going to retire and start to look at life after football and the club was aware of that.”
The former Orlando Pirates and AmaZulu man also disclosed there was also a clause that ensured his future was safeguarded in the event of gaining promotion, hence he’s part of the team ahead of what will be their first term in the big time since they were demoted as Ajax Cape Town at the end of the 2017/18 campaign.
“I also had a clause in my contract that said if we get promoted I’ll get an additional year, so contract wise I was always sorted and the club looked after me from that point of view,” Morton noted.
Morton is not the only veteran Spurs have decided to keep as they’ve done the same with the 38-year-old Nazeer Ali and his age compeer Clayton Daniels.
“Obviously, it is about maintaining the culture at the club and we’ve got a lot of very talented youngsters at the club that need assistance, coming through to realise their full potential and I think the older guys will help to instil that culture,” Morton said.