Goals, bums on seats very promising start

The MTN8 quarterfinals have come and gone and Orlando Pirates were left to rue their chances and should learn from a cat that playing with a mouse instead of killing it and making it your dinner is very dangerous.

Can you believe that 35 goals have already been scored in the Absa Premiership in just two rounds of matches? Add to that the 10 scored in the MTN8 quarterfinals last weekend and you will see that this is a season we might see a player break the 15-goal barrier which has not happened in quite some time.

It is also good to note that there are a few more bums on seats this season which is a good sign.

We hope the trend grows and we see full stadiums each week because that can only serve to better our football as players will be inclined to perform at their highest level every week.

In this edition we had our writer Tshepo Ntsoelengoe pick five Under-21 players who he thinks will make an impact this season and you can see them and read his analysis of them on Page 10.

For our regular One-on-One special profile we continue with honouring the flowers of the nation since it is women’s month and we spoke to Bloemfontein Celtic’s No 1 women fan, Mammelo Makha who is well known for her sombrero.

The National First Division finally kicks off this week with some interesting fixtures and Jomo Cosmos captain Ange Lebahi speaks about their plans for the season on Page 6. An interesting fact about the NFD this season is that all the teams come from just four provinces and are evenly divided.

Kaizer Chiefs finally got their first win of the season walloping Free State Stars 3-0 at FNB but the win came as a huge expense with the hard tackling Ea Lla Koto forcing off two of their players out with injuries. We wish Joseph Molangoana a speedy recovery.

It is a pity that his injury came at a time when he was just finding his form and becoming a regular for Giovanni Solinas.

The Italian mentor will guide his bruised Amakhosi against a hard running Baroka who were – until last season – their hoodoo team. Solinas rightly didn’t read too much into last weekend’s win admitting that they are not at the level he wants them yet.

Golden Arrows’ Clinton Larsen has built a reputation as a man who is brave enough to give youngsters a break in his team and he speaks about it on Page 12.

With the great start we had, I hope the NFD also gives us the same excitement tomorrow and the goals flow like they have in the top flight.

It has been a good few weeks that I have been acting as Phakaaathi Editor but this is my last edition as Jonty will be back next week. Enjoyed every minute of it, and I hope you have as well.