Richards Bay signing Keegan Allan kept up his habit of making an impact on debut with the winning goal for his new club as they opened the new Betway Premiership with a 1-0 home victory over TS Galaxy at Umlazi on Sunday.
The 23-year-old centre back headed home from a freekick midway through the first half to mark a bright start for both himself and his club.
Richards Bay are the third top flight club where Allan has played. He made his breakthrough initially in the National First Division at the University of Pretoria.
When he debuted in the Premiership, it was in the colours of Moroka Swallows in August 2022 and in a 2-3 home loss, Allan scored both goals for the Birds, one of them from the penalty spot.
Allan spent one and a half seasons with Swallows but when the club had money issues last December and could not pay their players, he moved to SuperSport United where he marked his debut with … a red card.
Allan was sent off on his debut for Gavin Hunt’s team against Stellenbosch in February, picking up a second yellow card deep in stoppage time at the end of the game and immediately earning himself an automatic two-match suspension.
SuperSport did not retain him at the end of last season, but Allan has wasted no time making an impressive on the KwaZulu-Natal coast.
“It's always a good feeling,” he said when SuperSport asked him about the goal.
“But at the end of the day, it's about the team. We leave with the three points, and we just carry on from where we left off.
“We have a long way to go this season, but we continue to unite and grow as a team under this technical team. I think it's positive ahead,” said Allan.