Cape Town - It’s a good thing that Brighton Mhlongo has a strong faith and a good sense of humour, otherwise, he may have gone mad by now. Almost every time the goalkeeper seems to be on to something good, something come along and derails him and he has to start all over.
This goes beyond him fighting to reclaim the Orlando Pirates’ No 1 jersey, which has been shared by Felipe Ovono and Siyabonga Mpontshane while he nursed a torn anterior cruciate ligament that sidelined him since August.
Before his injury he was the Soweto club’s first-choice goalkeeper, and not just because there was no one else and he was thrown in at the deep end after the murder of Senzo Meyiwa which saw him .
Like most good things that tend to happen in his life, Mhlongo’s opportunity was snatched away from him as he was enjoying it.
But he kept himself motivated, just like he stuck it out all those years when he was Pirates’ third-choice goalkeeper, and eventually up to second when Moeneeb Josephs left for Wits.
While he was still an understudy and having won the 2012 Carling Black Label Cup over arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs, he got a call from the club’s management to tell him that his father had passed away. That’s why the Soweto derby has sentimental value to him, and why he makes the most of every opportunity he gets because it might be his last.
“Chances favour a prepared mind,” Mhlongo said in September of 2014, a month before he was thrust between the Bucs’ sticks after the death of his friend and mentor, Meyiwa.
“It’s all up to you, how prepared you are mentally when you get that chance. In football there are always surprises. Everyone in the team is as important as the captain or whoever scores the goals. I grew up in an environment that taught me that when it’s not your turn, you have to be patient. But when you get your chance you should run with it.”
Just as Mhlongo was fit to return to action, looking set to start for Pirates against Mamelodi Sundowns last month he was involved in a car accident three days before. His car was written off but he escaped without any injuries.
This afternoon, he will look to return to Pirates’ starting XI for the first time since August when the Buccaneers host Platinum Stars at Orlando Stadium in the PSL.
In a way, the club’s run has been similar to Mhlongo’s experience; just when things look to be going well, reaching the finals of the 2013 CAF Champions League and 2015 CAF Confederation Cup, a spanner is thrown in the works which saw them lose both finals as well as struggle in the domestic league.
Pirates are in an unfamiliar place - 13th - on the log with a poor PSL run following their efforts inthe Confederation Cup. They will have no such distractions from now until May as they strive to ensure they keep their record of having always finished in the top eight in the PSL era.
Weekend Argus