Restart gives Shitembi the ‘child in a candy store’ feeling

PETALING JAYA: The music’s back and Sabah’s mercurial playmaker Petrus Shitembi (pic) is ready to take to the floor and dance away his blues.

The Namibian international, who is nicknamed ‘Dancing Shoes’ because of his ability to carve open defences with his scintillating passes, mazy runs and silky-like skills said the green light to train again after the threemonth lockdown because of Covid-19 was like “Liberation Day” to him.

“I literally had a ‘child in a candy store’ moment. It is a liberating feeling. There’s just no better feeling,” said the 28-year-old attacking midfielder plying his trade in the Malaysian Super League for the first time.

“The news was a relief, to be honest. It’s been such a long time without actually being out on the grass for training.”

When asked about the present training condition, the charismatic player said: “It’s pretty much just conditioning because of the long lay-off and we still have to take some precautions during the sessions.

“The technical team obviously have a training schedule in place, and we are just taking it day to day and hoping to get back to our usual levels.”

Sabah, the Premier League champions, are currently fourth in the 12-team Super League with five points from four matches with Shitembi playing a pivotal role for them.

Shitembi has provided three assists in four matches, and two of them came from corners. He has slowly etched a name for himself as a set-piece king, and once the league resumes, teams would surely keep an eye on his dead-ball prowess.

For now, he is enjoying his stay in Sabah and vowed to make an impression in his first season in the Malaysian league.

“Aside from the obvious, which is being away from my family and friends for so long ... my time here has been tremendous, to say the least. Lovely place, amazing people.

“Basically I will just keep pushing myself in every session and try and give my best when the season resumes.”