UNIVERSITY of Pretoria coach, Shaun Bartlett, has already started to work on his rescue mission in the
National First Division (NFD) side ahead of the 2016/2017 season.
Bartlett went down to the NFD with Golden Arrows in 2013.
He played a major role in helping them bounce back to the top flight after just one season.
The former Bafana Bafana striker now finds himself in a similar
position with AmaTuks as they were officially relegated this past Wednesday.
This was after Highlands Park were promoted to the Premier Soccer League (PSL) after winning the play-offs mini league.
Bartlett is not afraid of a challenge as he has confirmed he will stay on as the Tshwane outfit’s head coach in the second-tier division of Mzansi’s football league.
Bartlett said: “I love challenges and these type of challenges will make me stronger. But quick promotion
depends on the players and the
budget I’ll be given by management.
“I signed a three-year deal and I’m happy to stay and help them.”
Bartlett pointed to the weak development structures as one of the main reasons why the club went down to the lower league.
Bartlett has to off-load a couple of senior players because of the Under-23 rule that requires five players to feature in the starting line-up in the NFD.
Bartlett told SunSport: “The future of the club depends on young players who have the hunger and desire to succeed.
“These type of players will help us gain promotion within a year.
“We must refresh the squad and bring in a lot of younger players.”
Players such as Lennox Bacela and Thabo Mnyamane could be lost as the club looks for a new direction.
AmaTuks won the NFD title in the 2011/2012 season.
They spent four seasons in the PSL and Bartlett is confident he will take them back to where he believes they belong, in the big league.
Bartlett joined Tuks in the middle of the season, when the ship was
already sinking.
The 43-year-old failed to stop the rot, but he hopes to become the first coach that will promote two different teams within one season in the PSL.
