CAPE TOWN – Ajax Cape Town assistant coach Dylan Deane has a lot of time for wing Abednego Mosiatlhage, the team’s top goal scorer.
The former Bidvest Wits player heads the list of scorers in the GladAfrica Championships with 15, including two netted in the last game away to Free State Stars that ended in a 2-2 draw.
The Urban Warriors sit atop the standings on 39 points with 10 rounds to go. Their next assignment is a Nedbank Cup round of 32 date with league rivals TS Sporting at the Athlone Stadium today (7.30pm kick-off).
Deane has known Mosiatlhage for about four years and has been following him closely from his days at Cape Town All Stars and Wits.
And in a league game last year for Ajax against Stellenbosch FC, who won promotion to the PSL, he was very impressed with Mosiatlhage .
“Speed is always important, and he’s got speed,” said Deane. “At the end of last season we had a scouting list and he was one of the players who we decided we wanted to sign, and we got him from Wits.”
The coach said he had a feeling that Mosiatlhage was a late developer.
“It happens sometimes with players in his position and moving clubs around a lot. But I think he’s settled down. He’s at a club that can really bring the best out of him.
“We play with two wingers and he’s been playing a lot because he is the top goal scorer in the league,” Deane continued. “The fantastic thing about him is that he can be very good in one-on-ones, he can run in the depth, he can play in front of the defensive line, and that puts a lot of doubt in defenders’ minds.”
Deane added that the player has a great finishing technique and is a role model when it comes to training.
“He’ll take 30, 40 balls, spend time by himself trying to perfect his finishing, trying to perfect his free-kicks, and it changed him. You saw that last weekend when he scored from a free-kick against Stars.”
As for the threat posed by Mpumalanga-based Sporting, Deane fingered forward Decide Akana Chauke who he sees as a mobile man who likes running in the deep and can supply that moment of individual brilliance, where he can run with the ball and take defenders on.
He’s also wary of some of their physical midfielders who can close up the lines quickly and can press.
As far as his players are concerned, Deane can call on a bunch of experienced men such captain Isaac Nhlapo, Dutch goalkeeper Nick Hengelman, midfielder Grant Margeman, centre-back Junior Sibande and forward Eleazar Rodgers to steady the ship and motivate the younger brigade of which there are plenty in the ranks.