Engen Santos take on Cosmos at Athlone on Friday evening (kick off 8pm), and you can approach anyone involved at the club and they will tell you that there is a definite sense of caution.

Cosmos may be struggling towards the basement of the Absa Premiership, but one aspect remains constant – the Jomo Sono-coached team is a tough side to beat.

In this respect, team manager Yusuf Gester concurs: “Cosmos on Friday will be a very tricky match. They are not an easy team to deal with. They are one of the most difficult teams to score against. So we are aware of the huge task that awaits the team on Friday.”

So just who is this Yusuf Gester?

Well, they say that behind every successful football team, there’s someone pulling the strings behind the scenes. For Engen santos, that someone is Gester.

His superb organisational skills and calmness under pressure is what creates the space for David Bright and his technical team to concentrate on their coaching, and for the players to focus on playing to their best of their ability.

Gester, now 40 years old, played football as an amateur for Bluebells in Wynberg before, like so many of us here in South Africa, he and his parents were brutally removed from their home by the cruel apartheid regime as part of the Group Areas Act. They were shuffled off to live in Mitchell’s Plain where, because of his love for the game, he and his mates started their own football team, called Juventus. He eventually graduated to become the chairman of this club, which is where his brilliant organisational capacity and ability to run things smoothly caught the eye of Engen Santos chairman Goolam Allie.

Allie persuaded Gester to come on board as the PSL side’s team manager – and the rest, as they say, is history. Throughout Engen Santos’ success over the years –winning the Bobsave Super Bowl, PSL title, Absa Cup and BP Top Eight - Gester has been there, part of it all, pulling the strings behind the scenes.

He’s comfortable and happy with his role. He’s not the type that seeks the limelight… that is for the players, he says.

All he is interested in, is ensuring that the Engen Santos PSL team continues to be as successful as they can be.

“This is what I love,” he said. “I love working in football… and I’m happy to be able to do on a daily basis the thing that I love most.”

And what about Friday’s Cosmos result?

“The result against Cosmos is crucial for us on Friday,” said Gester, “as that will put us right up there among the leaders.

“The players just have to remain focused and play to the coach’s instructions.

“On the plus side, the coach has a fit side to choose from. We have no suspensions as Thembile Kanono is back, everyone has returned from injury, and it’s up to the coach as to how he wants to play it on Friday.

“I’m confident, though, that we have what it takes to get the better of Cosmos.”