Barr keen to return to premiership clubs
'I know the league, I have been around for a while'
Image: Rogan Ward/Gallo Images
Former Maritzburg United goalkeeper Jethren Barr, who was recently with Northern Irish side Portadown, is open to a move back to the DStv Premiership.
Barr, who is currently with Bafana Bafana in the Cosafa Cup tournament in Durban, recently parted ways with Portadown following their relegation from top-flight football.
The SA goalkeeper was offered a three-year deal in June last year by the then-Irish Premiership side but opted to cut ahort his stay at the club in order to look for better opportunities.
He said he was keen for a return to SA, provided he received a suitable offer.
“Me and my agent [Siyavuma Sports Group MD Paul Mitchell] will look at if it is a suitable offer for me, then of course I will come back. I love SA and I’m comfortable playing here,” Barr told the media.
“I know the league, I have been around for a while, so I would definitely consider it, but it is not such a big deal. If there is nothing suitable for me, I don’t mind going back to that side.”
The 27-year-old said the only offers he received were from overseas for trials but he decided to put them on hold and focus on playing for Bafana in the Cosafa matches.
“Most of the interest is from overseas. I was supposed to go to some team that side for trial, but obviously, I had to tell them I'm going for Cosafa now,” he said. “I don’t know if they will wait for me or not, but we will see what happens with Cosafa. I’m just enjoying this moment because it was always a dream for me to come here and play.”
On why Portadown was relegated from top-flight football, Barr said the blame should go to management following the manner in which they ran the club this previous season.
“I think the management knows what they did wrong. I mean they were bringing 20 players at a time and releasing them and bringing in another 20 while we were in the season.
“You can always have good individuals, but you need time to gel as a team and if you are not allowing that time for players to learn and for people to find their feet, these kinds of things will happen.
“The whole country and I predicted that we will be relegated and it was tough, but I think the management knows that they got it wrong.”