Worth his weight in Gould

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Morgan Gould is likely to be partnered with Bafana teammate Mulomowandau Mathoho on Saturday.

Morgan Gould is all too aware of where he comes from. Several years ago, while still turning out for Jomo Cosmos, he was infamous for being one of the roughest players around, a leg-breaking no-nonsense defender, but today he’s spoken of as among the best South Africa has produced.

Having won two league championships and one knockout trophy in his four-year spell at SuperSport United, Gould has joined Kaizer Chiefs with a new goal in mind: to add to his medals haul.

He is easily one of the major recruits of this pre-season, as he’s an established Bafana Bafana starter and has been mentioned as a possible national captain by new coach Gordon Igesund.

All this is a remarkable transformation for a player who, having received an incredible four red cards in his final season with Cosmos five years ago, had faced an uncertain, bleak future.

Now the move from Pretoria to SA’s glamour club presents him with a chance to confine all that to the past, and open a new chapter that would eventually accord him the status of a legend given what he’s already achieved at SuperSport.

He will play his first match – albeit unofficial – for Amakhosi in Saturday’s four-team Gauteng Challenge, where Chiefs face off against Moroka Swallows (noon) and SuperSport United take on Bidvest Wits in Atteridgeville (10am).

For Gould, Saturday marks the beginning of a journey to success, even though lifting a pre-season tournament won’t count for much in the end. “My first season as a footballer was the most important because it got me to where I am. But this upcoming season will equally be important as I have changed clubs after spending four years at SuperSport.

“It’s very important because at my age I’d like to win a lot of things. I want to look back at my career, step by step, and marvel at what I have achieved – from the days when I was a so-called ruthless player at Cosmos, then going on to be a leader at SuperSport, and coming here,” the 28-year-old said at Naturena on Thursday.

Even though Chiefs had a barren season in the last campaign – something Gould experienced just once in his four-year spell with SuperSport – he is confident he’s made the right move. “We know what we have to do ... we know why we are here. We have to win things and I’m confident we all have the same ambition. Mine is to make sure that I win even more things than I did at SuperSport.

“I know there will be pressure because this is a different environment. I changed colours and cities ... Pretoria to Joburg. There’s a big support base and all that, but I will enjoy that kind of pressure.”

On Saturday, Gould is likely to be partnered with Bafana teammate Mulomowandau Mathoho at the back, in what’s surely one of the most anticipated combinations heading into the new season.

The duo played together for the first time in Bafana’s last encounter against Gabon in June, ensuring Itumeleng Khune kept a clean sheet, although it must be highlighted that they were not really tested in that friendly match.

Gould, however, doesn’t expect to just walk into Stuart Baxter’s team – he’s prepared to fight for his place. “I’m happy to hear people saying Chiefs have the best defence in the league at the moment but it is up to us to prove that true. The fact is other teams will try to make our defence look weak, so we’ll have to be on our toes. We cannot afford to relax because there are five or six defenders fighting for places.”

The Bafana defender understands getting used to his new club and coach could take some time but is prepared to hit the ground running. “The coach (Baxter) is new here, but we have to adapt to his methods. We are all professionals and we have to do what’s expected of us,” he said.

All three games on Saturday will be shown on SS4, with the final kicking off at 5.15pm. – The Star