Maritzburg United talisman, Judas Moseamedi, has been playing like a possessed fighter in a gun battle and his recent form has made him one of the most feared number nines in the Premier Soccer League.
The lanky marksman is proving to be a difficult customer to contain because of his pace and physical strength.
When Moseamedi is around it is guaranteed that defenders will be run rugged. His statistics in the league are not remarkable but his work rate of late is what makes him the most dangerous marksman.
He was top goalscorer in the Telkom Knockout, netting three strikes in four appearances.
His coach Eric Tinkler believes that Moseamedi is different to other strikers because of his positive attitude on the field.
“Judas is not a quitter and he works hard in every game. First and foremost, Judas doesn’t play for Judas but he plays for the team. That is one of his biggest attributes, the biggest problem with other strikers all over the world is that they play for themselves,” Tinkler said.
Moseamedi is one of the few players that have made life difficult for league leaders, Kaizer Chiefs. He destroyed them twice this season - in the league and in a cup match.
He buried Amakhosi with his two goals as the Team of Choice dumped Amakhosi out of the Telkom Knockout semi-finals at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit last year. He hurt them again, scoring in a league draw that saw Chiefs' lead at the summit cut by two points.
“Strikers first play for themselves. Everything that Judas does is for the benefit of the team. If he doesn’t play, he doesn’t complain. He sits there and he is the first one to encourage those that are playing. That’s the mentality that Juda has,” Tinkler added.
Moseamedi and Tinkler come a long way. Their relationship started at Cape Town City where they won the Telkom Knockout.
“(Because of his positive attitude) we signed him when he became available because I knew who I was getting. Sometimes you get players that demand to play and don’t perform well and they are not there for their teammates. They are not there for the team but they are there for themselves. They let you down and they let the team down. Juda will fight for you,” Tinkler elaborated.
Moseamedi is expected to fight for Tinkler and his teammates when they lock horns with Chippa United tomorrow in an Absa Premiership showdown at 8.15pm. After 15 league appearances, Moseamedi has notched up three goals.