Matthew Pattison looking to emulate Benni McCarthy

A former Mamelodi Sundowns and  Bafana Bafana midfielder is in the process of acquiring his coaching badges and would like to follow in the footsteps of Cape Town City's Benni McCarthy.   Matthew Pattison, who plied his trade in the Absa Premiership for many years for clubs like Mamelodi Sundowns and Bidvest Wits, is currently on the books of a seventh-tier team in England, Whickham FC, where he is also "keeping fit" while completing his UEFA B Licence.   The 32-year-old Johannesburg-born player left South Africa five years ago to return to the United Kingdom to spend more quality time with his wife and two daughters.   The left-footed former Santos man indicated his goal is now to equip himself with the necessary qualifications to pursue a career in coaching, and has not ruled out a return to his country of birth as an option for coaching.   "It's been a while since I spoke to any media or journalists in South Africa," Pattison jokes with snl24.com/kickoff. "One can never say never and it would be foolish of me to rule out a return to South Africa in a new coaching capacity.   "Yeah, I'm currently busy with my Uefa B License while also still playing for Whickham where I'm helping out the club and keeping fit while obtaining my qualifications. It's also important to get the necessary coaching experience," says the former Newcastle player.   Pattison hinted that Bafana Bafana record scorer McCarthy, who is one of the younger already-successful coaches in the country, will undoubtedly make more history in the future as a head coach.   "I think he's gone about it in the right way starting off with his apprenticeship in Belgium, getting his qualifications and working his way up," Pattison explains.   "I also think what he has done thus far with a new club like [Cape Town] City is fantastic. He knows the league and hit the ground running when he came in as head coach. He made some good signings with experienced players. So yeah, I wouldn't mind following in his footsteps and the way he went about achieving his qualification."