Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns slayer coach discusses how his career nearly faded away - 'Probably some PSL bosses felt I was not good enough'

Magesi FC head coach Clinton Larsen has shared about a challenging moment in his career when he felt his value might have been overlooked by some PSL teams.

After leaving Polokwane City in September 2020, the 53-year-old mentor joined KwaZulu-Natal's ABC Motsepe League team Summerfield FC where he spent three years. 

In January last year, he began his journey with Dikwena Tsa Meetse in the Motsepe Championship. His guidance proved instrumental in the team achieving promotion to the PSL by clinching the 2023/24 title.

After securing the Carling Knockout trophy with Magesi, Larsen elaborated on the journey he undertook to return to the highest level.

"Yeah, it depends on who you ask if I was written off. I mean, Summerfield didn’t write me off, they gave me an opportunity, maybe you’re talking Premier League," Larsen said per FARPost. 

"You know, sometimes as a coach, when you’re involved in, whether you’re at a club and it gets relegated, somehow people lose faith in your ability as a coach. And I went to a Polokwane City team. The day I arrived, they had just lost 10 games in a row, 10 games. So from 30 points, they had got zero.

"We went into a bubble [a biologically safe environment during COVID-19], and it was a very complicated bubble for Polokwane City, and yeah, things didn’t work out. The club got relegated,'' he added.

"And probably some PSL bosses felt this coach is not good enough. And that’s how things fanned out. For three seasons, I was out of the league. But I still worked in the ABC [Motsepe League] and joined Magesi in the NFD. And now I’m trying to survive one more time in the PSL."

Larsen caused an upset by defeating the reigning Premier Soccer League Champions Mamelodi Sundowns in the Carling Knockout final on Saturday evening.

The Limpopo-based outfit accomplished a remarkable feat by becoming the first-ever newly-promoted team to clinch a league cup in the PSL era.

Larsen has coached teams like Maritzburg United, Chippa United, Bloemfontein Celtic, and Golden Arrows in the prestigious South African top division.

Larsen will be aiming to lead his team to secure a top-eight finish this season. There is still a possibility for him to win another trophy in the shape of the Nedbank Cup.

Magesi will shift their focus towards the PSL as they travel to East London to take on Chippa United at the Buffalo City Stadium on Saturday, November 30th.