Mabasa aims to improve his goal

THE passage of time has taught Tshegofatso Mabasa to embrace pressure and brotherhood, so that’s why he's focused on helping Orlando Pirates do well next season.

- MIHLALI BALEKA

Mabasa scored 15 goals in 48 games last season, and that was an average return after he netted nineteen goals in 33 matches the season before.

So, as the new season beckons, Mabasa will be eager to improve his numbers upfront by contributing to as many goals as he possibly can for the team. The 28-year-old says he’s not fazed by the responsibility.

“The older I get, the less worried I am about pressure,’ the striker said during the premiere of Pirates’ docu-series Giants, last week. “You can't perform well without pressure.”

Being able to handle pressure hasn't come naturally for Mabasa. He has to feed off the support of his teammates and technical team as well.

As such, when he went through a rough patch last season, resulting in him losing his place in the starting berth, it was his replacement, Evidence Makgopa, who offered him more support. So, that’s why Mabasa doesn’t look at the rest of the strikers at Pirates as his competitors, but rather as brothers.