It was the right time to move abroad- Barr | Breaking News

A goalkeeper who has been making waves in Northern Ireland has opened up about his first season abroad.

Former South African youth international Jethren Barr had a season to remember in the Northern Ireland top division. He established himself as a regular in his first season with Portadown FC.

Barr, 26, moved from DStv Premiership side Maritzburg United to continue his career in Europe and featured 31 times this past season.

Although Portadown had to maintain its top-flight status via the play-off route, Barr was voted as the Goalkeeper of the Season after putting out some impressive displays during the 2021/22 campaign.

FARPost caught up with the Durban-born player, who explained why he opted to move overseas instead of entertaining interest from local clubs.

“I reached an age where I decided I needed a change,” he explained. “I’ve always wanted to play in Europe; I was able to have a run of seven games in the PSL last season and do well keeping clean sheets against Kaizer Chiefs, Mamelodi Sundowns and AmaZulu. I was then scouted by Portadown, who offered me a contract, and I was happy to take that opportunity with both hands.”

Speaking about being awarded the Goalkeeper of the Season accolade, Barr said he was incredibly proud of his efforts, considering that it was his first time playing outside his comfort zone.

“I was thrilled to receive the Goalkeeper of the Season and Player of the Year awards,” he continued.

“It was so challenging for me to go to a foreign country and achieve that, although my happiness was short-lived by many people claiming that it’s only Northern Ireland and I had no quality as a goalkeeper.
“I think what many people fail to understand is that I’m different from other players currently playing abroad. I’ve played in the local league against all the top teams, and when I played, I did well, whereas many of the young ones playing abroad haven’t competed in the South African top flight.

“The fact that I’ve played in the PSL says a lot about my quality already, the fact that I played in all junior national teams for South Africa says a lot about my quality and the fact that at Maritzburg United, the Zambian number one goalkeeper was sitting on the bench because of me also says a lot about my quality especially considering that Zambia are a strong national team.”

Barr hit back at his critics, highlighting that despite being recognised in Ireland, people in his own country do not appreciate the work that he put in.

“Honestly, I couldn’t understand how after receiving Goalkeeper of the Season abroad and having already done what I’ve done in my career, people can turn around and say, ‘he has no quality; it’s only Northern Ireland’.

“I will give an example, no one had heard of Veli Mothwa a couple of years ago, and his talent was not recognised when he was at Chippa United, but today he is competing for the number one jersey at Bafana. Imagine if he had done what I did by leaving the PSL because he was tired of sitting on the bench and going to prove himself abroad? People would also say, ‘he couldn’t even catch a game at Chippa, so he’s got no quality’.

“I was in the same situation as him. My whole career, I’ve been behind established goalkeepers. At Wits, I was sitting on the bench for Moeneeb; at Maritzburg, it was Richard Ofori; the only thing I did differently from Veli was to decide to leave and not wait until I was 29 to start playing regularly.”

Despite attracting interest from several clubs, Portadown tied down the former Bidvest Wits man for another three seasons.

“There was interest, I only had offers from the top teams in and around Ireland, and I was discussing a possible return to South Africa, but I felt the time to come home was not right yet because Portadown gave me a chance to sign for them again – it was about loyalty and a way to say thank you.

He concluded by sharing his ambitions and targets for the upcoming season, where he will be expected to continue being one of the key players at the club.

“Next season, I want to win a cup…I want to qualify and play in Europe (Uefa Champions League and Europa League qualifiers. I need to beat my 12 clean sheets in 39 games – my new target is 19 clean sheets.”

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