Seasoned campaigner Ayanda Gcaba may have spent the whole of last season in the wilderness, but the former Orlando Pirates defender is ready to get his career back on track after joining second-tier side Royal Eagles.

Having parted ways with the now defunct Platinum Stars at the end of the 2017/18 season, Gcaba never played at professional level since. However, the 33-year-old centreback remained unfazed.

"I always knew that I'd get a chance to revive my career. God is great all the time, so I never lost hope. Football has its ups and downs, but I have no regrets, looking at my previous teams,'' said Gcaba, who made his Eagles debut in their 2-2 draw against Real Kings last Saturday after penning a one-year deal.

"I am happy to be at Eagles. Mine now is to do what I do best. that's playing football. I value this opportunity and I am willing to fight for the team going forward.''

Gcaba also feels his experience will be of a great benefit to Eagles' youngsters.

The defender penned a one-year deal with the GladAfrica Championship side.

"It's very important to work as a team, especially because the team boast a lot of youngsters.I think it's my duty as a senior player to guide these young boys on and off the field. I want to use my experience to help my teammates,'' said Gcaba, who played more than 190 top-flight games between 2008 and 2018.

"The mandate is to make sure that the team is in a stable position. We are not going to set targets yet because the team has new players, so we need to gel together first and see what's next.''

GladAfrica results

Steenberg 2, Swallows 1; AmaTuks 0, Uthongathi 1; Galaxy 1, Ajax 0; Richards Bay 2, FS Stars 0; Eagles 2, Kings 2; Sporting 0, Mbombela 2; JDR 2, Umoya 0