JOHANNESBURG - It is often said, “the derby can either break or make you as a youngster”. But for Kaizer Chiefs’ quartet, the former is not an option as they’ll have to grab the bull by the horns against Orlando Pirates this afternoon.
Happy Mashiane, Nkosingiphile Ngcobo, Darrel Matsheke and Njabulo Blom have played a handful of Soweto derbies in the development ranks. But the occasion, script and cast will be totally different compared to the showdown that awaits them at Orlando Stadium.
Then in the reserve league, the DStv Diski Challenge, they were given room for error as they were cutting their football teeth, as results were not paramount according to coach Arthur Zwane. But in top-flight, it’s about bragging rights, then performance.
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Given the four development products have been at the heart of Chiefs’ resurgence in the last two weeks after inspiring their team to an impressive haul of 11 points out of a possible 15, they are not relatively thrown in the deep end and set up to sink.
After all, Ngcobo, 21, and Mashiane, 23, found the back of the net twice, scoring in the back-to-back wins over Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila and Cape Town City, in their recent run of three wins and two draws in their last five matches.
Matsheke, 21, is set to make his first appearance in the senior derby compared to trio Mashiane, Ngcobo and Blom, 21. But the Amakhosi faithful will be eager to see what Ngcobo. brings to the table.
After making his senior debut during pre-Covid-19 late last season, Ngcobo was tipped to reach the dizzy heights in top-flight. However, those aspirations were short-lived after an injury that kept him out for the remainder of the term.
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But fully fit and presented with a clean slate under coach Gavin Hunt, who wasn’t afforded luxury to sign new players ahead of his arrival, Ngcobo has grabbed his opportunity with both hands. But there’ll be no doubt that this year's first Soweto derby will pose a new challenge altogether.
Chiefs will be hoping to avenge their 5-0 aggregate loss to the Buccaneers in the MTN8 semi-finals back-toback matches, and Hunt believes his four youngsters might be able to earn some sort of redemption in their bid to improve from last year's misfortunes.
“We don’t really need to say too much. We’ve got to treat it like another game.
“Obviously, I know there are expectations around the place. But we don’t have to do anything out of the ordinary, and hopefully we’ll try to improve from the last time we played them,” Hunt said.
“These young players have come in, yes. They’ve been given a chance and now they’ve got to hold on to those chances. It’s important that we play properly and play better with or without the ball. We’ve certainly got to improve.”
Unlike Chiefs, Pirates won't have to depend much on their graduates for three points, albeit coach Josef Zinnabuer gave Azola Tshobeni, 18, two rare starts in their last two matches – against Maritzburg United and TS Galaxy respectively.
Pirates’ seasoned rear-guard will be responsible for ensuring that they keep Ngcobo and company at bay. But, so far, the Bucs’ defensive contingent has blown hot and cold in their last five matches, where they collected eight points out of 15.
Zinnbauer, though, is mostly worried about his striking force as they can’t seem to find their scoring boots regularly, following the unavailability of Zakhele Lepasa, Gabadinho Mhango and Tshegofatso Mabasa who’ve been nursing injuries in the last few matches.