The Head Coach of English Championship side Plymouth Argyle Paul Mariner had no hesitation about giving a debut to Zimbabwean Onismor Bhasera in his teams 0-0 draw with Barnsley on Tuesday.
That was despite the Zimbabwe international left-back only flying into the country early that morning. Bhasera’s flight from Johannesburg in South Africa only touched down at London Heathrow shortly after 6.30am.
The 24-year-old then travelled to Plymouth by taxi, before catching up on some sleep in a city centre hotel. Mariner threw Bhasera into the team against Barnsley, in the continued absence of injured left-back Chris Barker.
And Bhasera rewarded the faith shown in him by the Pilgrims’ boss as he put in an encouraging performance. Mariner said: “Bhasera came in on the half-past-six from Johannesburg, and he hadn’t trained for two weeks, but he played like that.
“That all bodes well for the future of this club. He was part of a very young back four, and we didn’t even have chance to work with them.” Bhasera signed a two-and-a-half year contract with Argyle after he was granted a UK work permit by an independent tribunal on March 10.
The defender had previously played for Kaizer Chiefs in South Africa, but severed his ties with them in February. As he was a free agent, he was able to sign for Argyle outside the transfer window. But his debut for the Pilgrims was held up by issues over his visa, as well as a delay in receiving international clearance.
He was in South Africa when that was finally resolved over the weekend and then departed Johannesburg late on Monday night, local time. Bhasera had trained with Argyle before signing a contract for them, and Mariner was very keen to add him to his squad. So, although Bhasera had been away for some time before the game against Barnsley, the Pilgrims’ boss did not consider it a gamble to put him into the team.
Mariner said: “He’s a very good pro, and you can see by the cut of him he’s very fit. For him to go 90 minutes is borderline remarkable.” The goalless draw against Barnsley saw Argyle move within five points of a position of safety after relegation rivals Watford lost 3-1 at home to Crystal Palace. This is Plymouth.co.uk
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