Good things come to those who wait. These are words Tshegofatso Mabasa would probably utter if he were asked about his current form for Soweto giants Orlando Pirates. The 27-year-old striker was sent out on loan to Sekhukhune United last season, and then Moroka Swallows before the start of the campaign, as it seemed like there was no room for him at Pirates. But he used the opportunity he got at Swallows to get his career back on track and then the turmoil at the Dube Birds, where players were fighting for unpaid monies, was a blessing in disguise as it led to his return to the Buccaneers. With Evidence Makgopa out nursing an injury, Mabasa has been able to make the most of the opportunities he is getting in the starting line-up, recently bagging a hat-trick in a 7-1 demolition of Golden Arrows at Orlando Stadium. Soccer Laduma's Tshepang Mailwane looks at the rise of Mabasa this season and speaks to different individuals on his form.
Finally finding his feet…
Lebohang Mokoena – former Pirates forward
"Mabasa has done well thus far, having come back from a loan spell at Swallows. He was also a talisman at Swallows. I think he is one player who has improved tremendously. But even from his days at Celtic, you could see that he enjoys scoring goals. It was about finding his feet at Pirates, and he is finally getting that. At Pirates, you need to grab your chance because you still have your (Zakhele) Lepasa and Makgopa is still there. I think Mabasa will help Pirates a lot in these last few games of the league and in the Nedbank Cup. He is strong aerially; he can win the ball. He packs a powerful left foot, and he has got good movement off the ball. As a Pirates number nine, your job is to score goals. You are not going to have the luxury of always playing because you are skillful, or you are a creative player. They need goals from a striker. I think his form is a great boost for Pirates and I see them doing really well in the Nedbank Cup and in the league as well. They stand a chance of finishing second in the league and it's really great. He has proven that he wants to start and wants to play. He has shown that if he gets a chance, he will score. He will make a huge difference in these last few games, as long as he keeps getting the service he has been getting."
That loan move can be important…
Lennox Bacela – former Pirates striker
"I've always admired the guy. He was at Celtic when I first saw him. Even then, I could see the potential of a good striker. His positioning in the box is very good and I think he is also good aerially, which is important. Most importantly, I think he plays to his strengths and there is no denying that he is a good finisher. I have always felt that if he were at a bigger team, where the quality is better than where he was, then he would become even better. At some point, I could not understand why he was not starting at Pirates. I think he is a quality striker. That loan move can be important to help a player with his confidence. Sometimes you just need to get out of a certain environment to freshen up and come back and be ready to go again. So, I think that loan move was very important for him, and it helped him. It got him to trust in his abilities again and to believe that he can do the job for Pirates. He has proven since he came back that he is a different player. You can see that he is very confident now. You know when you go to a big team, there is a lot of pressure and that's where people tend to struggle. So, I think that loan move gave him the confidence he needed to believe that he deserves to be at Pirates. I think he can play an important role for Pirates in the last few games of the season."
The stats
1,916 – the 27-year-old has played 1,916 minutes of football this season in all competitions for both Moroka Swallows and Orlando Pirates. It's 1000 more minutes than he managed while he was out on loan to Sekhukhune United last season.
79.8 – Looking at the amount of time he has spent on the pitch this whole season, Mabasa has averaged a goal every 79 minutes. He has been in good form and the Buccaneers will be looking to him to keep finding the back of the net.
10 – It's the first time in his professional career that Mabasa has gone into double figures in the league in terms of goals. Six of his 10 goals were scored at Swallows, and he now has an opportunity to surpass that at Pirates in the remaining matches of the season.
8 – Eight of the 10 goals he has scored in the Premiership this season have been against clubs that are currently in the bottom half of the league standings.
7 – Mabasa has proven to be more dangerous in the second half this season, with seven of his 10 Premiership goals coming after half-time.
4 – Golden Arrows have felt the biggest pain when facing Mabasa, who has scored four goals against the KZN outfit this season. He scored three recently against them and one while he was at Swallows in the first match of the season.
3 – Since returning to Pirates, the former Bloemfontein Celtic man has not only been scoring goals. He has come up with three assists, one in the Premiership and two in the Nedbank Cup.
Pirates the golden boot award…can Mabasa do it?
Since the inception of the PSL in 1996/97, Orlando Pirates have only had three strikers winning the top scorer award at the end of the season. Mabasa, who started the season on loan to Swallows, currently sits one goal behind Mamelodi Sundowns Lucas Ribeiro Costa and has a good opportunity to finish the campaign with the golden boot award. Here are the three players who have won the top scorer award in Pirates colours.
Gabadinho Mhango
In the 2019/20 season, the Malawian international shared the top scorer award with Peter Shalulile, who was at Highlands Park at the time. Both players rattled the back of the net 16 times during that season, including a hattrick against Polokwane City. During that season, there was a period where Mhango scored in five consecutive matches, netting eight goals. It remains Mhango's best season in front of goal in the PSL.
Lesley Manyathela
The late Lesley Manyathela was a nightmare for defenders during the 2002/03 season, when he netted 18 times to claim the award. During that league-winning season, Manyathela scored a winner against Soweto rivals Kaizer Chiefs in the first round of the campaign. He finished the season with 22 goals in all competitions. It was his goals that played a key role in Pirates winning the league under head coach Roy Barreto.
Dennis Lota
In 1999/00, the late Zambian striker, nicknamed 'Chesa Mpama', finished the season on 18 goals and scooped the top scorer award. To this day, Lota holds the record of the most goals in a season in all competitions for Pirates. He netted 23 times during that campaign.
What an opponent has to say…
Veteran defender Clayton Daniels played against Tshegofatso Mabasa during the first half of the season, when Mabasa was still in the colours of Moroka Swallows. On the day, Mabasa netted a brace as the Dube Birds registered a 3-1 victory over Cape Town Spurs, a club Daniels no longer plays for. Here is what Daniels had to say about Mabasa.
"I played against him. He is a very powerful striker, and he is talented. I think he is one striker who uses his left foot. It's rare in our league to find a striker with a left foot, we normally have right-footed strikers who cut in and try to shoot. I think what's important for him is that he is unorthodox. He will always arrive in the box at an angle where you don't expect him and that is the mark of an intelligent striker. He is powerful, he has the energy, and he has a good idea of football. He can score so many more goals and I know he can work a little bit more on his aerial strength, like doing a little bit more jump work to finish with the header. But I played against him, and I know he is an intelligent and powerful player. I want to see him playing for Bafana Bafana and it can happen if he scores consistently."
