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I'll Keep On Scoring Goals
Soccer Laduma
|23 October 2019
Within two months of the new PSL sea-son, Orlando Pirates supporters believe the club has found a striker that can be relied on for the goals they need to finally end their trophy drought. Left-footed striker Tshegofatso Mabasa has not taken a lot of time to hit his straps following his move to the Soweto giants from Bloemfontein Celtic and has received big praise from former Buccaneer Benni McCarthy, which can only be a good sign and confidence booster for him going forward. During a CSI event held at Rand Stadium recently, which saw Pirates conducting a coaching clinic for high school children, the 23-year-old spoke to Soccer Laduma’s Tshepang Mailwane about his dream start to life at the club.
Tshepang Mailwane: Tshegofatso, Congrats on your 1-0 win against Stellenbosch FC in the Telkom Knockout. You’ve been with Orlando Pirates for a few months now and it’s been a great start for you at the club.
Tshegofatso Mabasa: It’s been fantastic. Words can’t really describe this feeling, honestly. It’s always been a dream of mine to play for a club like Orlando Pirates. I grew up supporting them, so it’s really something special for me to be here. I enjoy being around my teammates. It’s more like brotherhood, and it’s something I really appreciate and I value being part of this club.
TM: Where did your love for the club start?
TM: Well, initially, from my uncle. He has been a lifelong Pirates supporter and I grew into that. I grew up next to him and it rubbed off on me, so I’ve been supporting this club since. The likes of the late Lesley Manyathela, Lebohang Mokoena, Collins Mbesuma and Lelo Mbele are just the few names that caught my eye when I was still young and I was watching football.
TM: Not long after joining the club, head coach Milutin Sredojevic left to join Zamalek. How difficult was that for you, considering you were probably still adjusting?
TM: Yeah, it’s a bit difficult to adapt, because you are getting used to this sort of coaching and then another coach comes in. Luckily for us, not a lot has changed. Everything has been okay and smooth sailing for us. It’s just a matter of getting the results and I believe with time it will come right. I believe in coach Rhulani (Mokwena), he’s a very good coach. He has guided us a lot through this and I believe he is what we need at the club.
TM: What did Rhulani do to keep the squad together during the difficult time?
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