A GOLDEN ARROW FROM LAMONTVILLE
Lamontville Golden Arrows enjoyed one of their most impressive seasons of the Premier Soccer League era, under the guidance of mentor Clinton Larsen. This season has also marked the breakthrough of a young Abafana Bes’thende attacker Nduduzo Sibiya, who achieved a rare feat in modern football: playing for the club of his birthplace.
The important role the Multichoice Diski Challenge (MDC) is playing as South Africa’s leading reserve league is truly starting to show itself in the quality of the players who have graduated from the competition. Nduduzo Sibiya, the latest in a string of talented footballers from the east coast, says the MDC was the perfect opportunity for him to showcase his skills and be recognised in the first team. Sibiya was the figurehead of Arrows’ maiden MDC team in 2015, forming an integral part of Vusi Vilakazi’s side that pipped Mamelodi Sundowns to the post in the last game of the season at the Nike Football Centre in Pimville, Soweto. It appears he has since developed a knack for getting one over Sundowns. The Lamontville-born midfielder’s name is still on everyone’s lips after he showed fancy footwork against The Brazilians in their Nedbank Cup Round of 16 clash: after dummying Motjeka Madisha, he composed himself to score the goal that knocked Sundowns out of the competition. Sibiya, who since became a regular in Larsen’s starting lineup, says it was initially tough for him to break through at the club, but knew playing well in the MDC would improve his first team chances.
“The MDC helped me a lot because it brought back my confidence,” Sibiya tells KICK OFF. “My confidence was low because I didn’t play a lot with Arrows in the NFD [during the 2014/15 season]. “People aimed harsh and unkind words towards me, saying I wouldn’t play in the PSL because I couldn’t even establish myself in the NFD. “So the MDC opened my eyes and showed me that other clubs are using players from MDC in the PSL, if they show their qualities. “What also helped me the most was when Clinton Larsen arrived. I knew he loved working with youngsters, so my confidence shot up and I felt that the more I played well in the MDC, the more I was going to improve my chances of getting into the PSL team. “I started to train hard and follow the coach’s instructions and that is
how I got to where I am right now.” Sibiya arrived at Arrows at 14 years of age, brought through the gates by his uncle Ngono Sibiya, who raised him. He said he received lot of negative messages growing up from close friends in Lamontville, who had little belief in Arrows gaining promotion. “At that time, George Khanyile was coaching the Under-14s. My uncle knew him and he brought me straight where the team was training at [University of KwaZulu-Natal’s] Howard College [Arrows’ previous training base],” he recalls. “He told them he’s got a nephew who was very good. I had already given up playing football at that time, and even admitted to myself that chances of playing football were slim. “In Lamontville, where I grew up, there was nothing progressive when it came to football. You always hear people saying, ‘Chances of playing professional football are very slim’. They said I wouldn’t get a chance to play at Arrows. I slowly espoused that mentality and I questioned my own ability. “But my uncle sat me down and convinced me that, if I ever get a glimpse inside Arrows, I’d hardly find young players my age who could surpass my ability. He said what I didn’t already know, I’d learn from the coaches.
“I was skillful, but I needed to learn the basics; like when to receive the ball and how to put myself in between defensive spaces.” Although he contributed with both goals and assists this season, coach Larsen warned him that, if he takes that goal against Sundowns to his head and thinks that he’s “arrived”, he’d lose his place in the team. “Chaka” feels that winning goal against Sundowns changed his life, as he now has to deal with the stresses that come with fame and fans. “I have to admit, that goal still brings joy to me because wherever I go everyone talks about it,” Sibiya says. “I noticed that it made a lot of shockwaves and I’ve watched it several times over. What I did with the ball on that day, nobody expected me to do. “As a player, this shows there’s nothing I can’t do as long as I do it with the intention of making it a success and helping the team. “But I need to continue working hard because that goal doesn’t mark the end. Yes, I scored a brilliant goal, which I intended to do, but one game can make you a star and it can make you a bad player. “I need to continue the way I’ve been playing ... and there’ll be more to come from me.”
“I WAS SKILLFUL, BUT I NEEDED TO LEARN THE BASICS; LIKE WHEN TO RECEIVE THE BALL AND HOW TO PUT MYSELF IN BETWEEN DEFENSIVE SPACES.”