Ngobeni a 5-Stars keeper

Free State Stars goalkeeper Thela Ngobeni during a recent PSL match against the club that owns him, Mamelodi Sundowns.Picture: BackpagePix

Free State Stars goalkeeper Thela Ngobeni during a recent PSL match against the club that owns him, Mamelodi Sundowns.Picture: BackpagePix

Published Dec 17, 2016

Share

Johannesburg - The question of whether Thela Ngobeni will receive a CAF Champions League winners’ medal or not makes the goalkeeper uncomfortable.

The 27-year-old is technically an African champion. He is registered in Mamelodi Sundowns’ 30-man winning squad even though he didn’t play a single minute in the tournament and was on loan at Free State Stars when Downs lifted the trophy in Alexandria two months ago.

CAF doesn’t make any provision to remove players who have left a club; once they are registered they are there until the tournament ends. And there is the fact that Ngobeni is still a Sundowns player.

“I haven’t spoken with the club about it. I don’t think I deserve it because I didn’t play in it. I think they should give it to the other players who are there,” Ngobeni said.

The lad from Katlehong has won every trophy on offer in the country from his days at Kaizer Chiefs and the Brazilians. But he didn’t break a sweat for any of those medals having spent his time with the two clubs as a third-choice goalkeeper at best. In the four years he spent with Chiefs’ first team, from 2008-2012, Ngobeni only played one match.

“When I left Chiefs, it was difficult to accept it,” Ngobeni said. “It was an emotional moment because that’s the only club I had known and grew up there. I thought about quitting football because it wasn’t working out. I am glad that I didn’t because I was emotional when I had those thoughts. I decided to give it another try because this is what I was born to do. I don’t regret the decisions I’ve made since then.”

Ngobeni joined the Brazilians after Amakhosi. He played only two games in the four years he spent there. Both of those games were dead rubbers after the Absa Premiership race was decided. It took leaving his comfort zone in Joburg, swapping it for Bethlehem, for Ngobeni to finally don the No 1 jersey regularly and reach double figures in starts - eight years after he turned professional.

“I am grateful for the opportunity that Free State Stars has given me,” Ngobeni said.

“This is all I’ve ever wanted to do, play regularly and showcase my talent. All I needed was an opportunity. I decided that when I got here I will not look back, instead I will look into the future because that’s the only thing I can change. I can’t change what happened in the past. It killed me not being given a chance because for you to improve you must play, see your mistakes and learn from that. I didn’t get that opportunity until now.”

Having waited for almost a decade to be a regular, Ngobeni won’t relinquish the No 1 jersey without a fight. He has been the foundation of an Ea Lla Koto team in transition and in a rebuilding phase after the club was on the market. A number of players left because of that. The deal fell through and Stars had to then form a team that can avoid relegation. Rooi Mahamutsa and Thamsanqa Teyise have been roped in to steady things at the back.

What hasn’t changed after the massive exodus of players and a number of new faces coming in, is the club being Bidvest Wits’ hoodoo team. Stars eliminated the Clever Boys in the Telkom Knockout like they did last season in that tournament and in the Nedbank Cup. This afternoon the Bethlehem side will be looking to dent Wits’ league aspirations by taking three points from them at Bidvest Stadium in a match that kicks off at 8.15pm.

“I think a successful season for us would be to keep the club in the PSL,” Ngobeni said. “A lot of things happened before I arrived here on loan from Sundowns. I believe we have what it takes to survive. I would love to play as many games as I can. Regular game time is what’s going to decide where I go next season (whether it’s to return to parent club Sundowns or stay at Stars who have shown interest keeping him on)."

Saturday Star

Related Topics: