It’s now or never in Pretoria for iGugu leKapa. They have to win against the University of Pretoria today, or else they forget about any chances they had of getting promoted.
Unless they can cook something up and go the court battle, you know how it is, this Mzansi!
The ouens have looked shook so far. It’s been painful from the start, with the University of Pretoria making them go the distance in Athlone, only to kill the tie with two late goals to make it 3-1.
All Stars were never out of the game and fought back to make it 2-1 with Sirgio Kammies scoring, only for Wonderboy Makhubu to add to Samuel Julies and Thabang Sibanyoni’s first-half strikes for Tuks.
It was heartbreaking, a knockout punch, that made the last few minutes of the game hell for the hosts.
There was an extra buzz in the build up to that match last week. I was getting calls and texts on the day about the transport arrangements that were made by the club, it was chaos, there was a frenzy.
Such has been the hunger for this side of the community to have a side to have another team in the Premiership.
Seven Stars were the Cape Flats’ great hope, it had that Cape kasi flavour you can only find between the M5, Klipfontein, Lansdowne Road and of course Bhunga Avenue.
That little bit of fizz was finished when the ouens let Swallows off the hook in the second match of the playoffs on the road. Eswatini winger Justice Figuareido was on the scoresheet for All Stars, but it wasn’t enough as the Birds fought back and won with goals from Mbulelo Wambi and Joseph Mhlongo to make it 2-1.
Still, this All Stars team has that energy, with goalkeeper Kyle Peters back between the sticks. His departure from the club in 2016 at a time when he was a full South African U23 national player was not ideal.
And after moving to Wits and Highlands Park, the highly-rated former Ajax Cape Town youth star came back home last season.
At 29, he will be first to admit that he didn’t test his natural talent consistently at the highest level.
This is a chance to give this opportunity a real go and secure his future.
Do you know that the Cape community would argue with you until they are red in the face that Kyle Peters is a better ball distributor than Itumeleng Khune! That’s how much this was rated as a youngster.
The other special thing about Kyle is that he has such an edge about him, which makes naturally crazy enough to be a goalkeeper. So already nje, the ou has the natural keeper energy and hype.
The coaching staff is an example of the current local trend of three coaches. At All Stars the Allan Freese as head coach and assistant coaches Themba Badela and Gareth Ncaca.
I think All Stars have something special in that Badela and Ncaca combo if there was an opportunity in the future.
Freese came in late in the campaign and finally got All Stars to find ways to win matches on the road. It had been their downfall for as long as I can remember.
Even Dance Malisela lost his job because of defeats on the road suffocated his achievement which had set the team up to challenge for the NFD title back in 2015.
Thembinkosi Lorch were running riot alongside Mihlali Mayambela and Zaphaniah Mbokoma, who is also back at the club after journeying around the country to Chippa, Richards and Swallows for regular game time.
It’s a homecoming for Peters and Mbokoma, and sportingly that should make them motivated to want to make their situation at All Stars work in their favour.
Ziyakhala, everything is down to today’s clash in the nation’s capital.