Manyama the best in the land

It’s been a wonderful season for Cape Town City’s Lebogang Manyama , and last night another brilliant chapter was added.

The City skipper, who played in 29 out of 30 matches in leading his team to third place on the log, last night captured the biggest individual accolade at the PSL Awards when he was crowned the 2016-17 Footballer of the Season.

Although the competition was stiff – defender Thulani Hlatshwayo of Wits and the Brazilians’ strongman, Hlompho Kekana were nominated alongside the Bafana forward – it would have been a shock had Manyama not won the biggest prize on the night having been a star performer to help City win the Telkom Knockout in December.

Manyama scored 13 goals and also claimed the Golden Boot.

Manyama’s peers also felt he’d had an unbelievable year and voted him the Players’ Player of the Season, meaning he’d won in each category he was nominated in, with the exception of the Telkom Knockout. In that category, his teammate Aubrey Ngoma, also the winner of the PSL Midfielder of the Season, received the award for Player of the Tournament.

A team that enjoyed a night just as memorable, were champions Wits, whose coach Gavin Hunt was voted the Coach of the Season for helping the Clever Boys end an almost century-long drought by winning their first-ever championship.

With that achievement, Hunt also joined an elite club of coaches who have won the league four times in the PSL, alongside Gordon Igesund and the late Ted Dumitru.

It was also the fifth time Hunt, who turns 53 today, accepted the Coach of the Season award in the PSL era.

Adding to the individual awards at Wits were goalkeeper Darren Keet and captain Hlatshwayo for the Goalkeeper (Chiefs) Nduduzo Sibiya (Golden Arrows) Abbubaker Mobara (Orlando Pirates) Klate (Wits) Ndaba Luvoyo Phuphuma Phelelani Daine and Defender of the Season gongs, respectively.

And, perhaps controversially so, 19-year-old Phakamani Mahlambi walked away with the Young Player of the Season award, even though there has been a public outcry that he perhaps did not do enough to warrant him being nominated for the award in the first place.

Keet and Hlatshwayo, however, were the mainstay of the Wits team.

They were not necessarily ever present, Keet managing 10 clean sheets in 22 matches, while “Tyson” featured in 24 league matches and scored three crucial goals.

Keet was nominated alongside Sundowns’ Denis Onyango and Shu-Aib Walters of City, while Hlatshwayo went up against teammate Sifiso Hlanti and Ramahlwe Mphahlele, who enjoyed a stellar debut season at Kaizer Chiefs and won the club’s Player of the Year award, but disappointedly couldn’t help Amakhosi to win any silverware for a second successive season.