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Zola Doda: Lungelo, thanks a lot for taking time to talk to Soccer Laduma readers.
Lungelo Nguse: Thanks a lot.
ZD: How are things going for you since joining Golden Arrow s at the beginning of the season?
LN: For now, things are good, I c an’t c omplain about anything. Personally, I think I started this season well bec ause I c ome from the NFD (National First Division, offic ially known as Motsepe Foundation Championship) without a lot of professional experienc e. I also got a lot of help from teammates like Ryan Moon and Knox Mutizwa, who have been helpful in helping me settle down. Our c oac h, Mabhudi Khenyeza, is also a former striker and that has c ontributed a lot as well bec ause he understands what me and other strikers are going through.
ZD: You made your PSL debut at Baroka FC during the 2019/20 season and didn’t play that much. W as there a lot of pressure on you?
LN: I c ome from Vryheid and I didn’t play that muc h in the SAB League bec ause I was still at sc hool. From there, I w ent to Eastern Cape to join Bizana Pondo Chiefs and I sc ored 24 goals. I went to Baroka FC and I needed more time to adjust to a professional level and to learn as a striker about how to play. I played three matc hes for Baroka FC during the 2020 COVID-19 bubble and I moved on loan to TS Sporting. From there, I went bac k to Pondo Chiefs, so I didn’t play that muc h in the PSL. It’s not that there was pressure, I didn’t get any c hanc e to play games and get used to the PSL level.
ZD: How has your game changed since 2019/20 season, w hen you made your professional debut as a 20-yearold?
LN:
It’s just the way I think and approac h the game. I used to get very nervous before. In 2019, we played against Orlando Pirates and I was so nervous playing against a team I used to watc h on TV. And you must remember that I c ame from lower division and being young as well, I was really nervous. But now I know that I have to do my job without thinking about who I will be playing against. The way I play has improved… and finishing. I will keep pushing and hopefully reac h the heights reac hed by Collins Mbesuma.
ZD: So, how join Golden Arrow How did the come about?
LN:
did you s? move
There was a tournament c alled Khaba Cup whic h was played in Umlazi duri ng the off-season… I think it was played in June if I’m not mistaken. That’s where the team spotted me. We were playing a final and there was c oac h Vusumuzi Vilakazi and c oac h Vusi Mthembu – both of them were there and invited me to c ome to the team for a trial at Golden Arrows. Fortunately, the c hairman of my forme r team at Pondo Chiefs is also my manager. He told me that there would be opportunities bec ause other c lubs, like Arrows and Ric hards Bay FC, would be watc hing the tournament, and if I played well there would be a c hanc e of getting spotted. That is exac tly what happened.
Lungelo Nguse made his DStv Premiership debut during the 201 9 /20 season,as a promising young striker for Baroka FC. After spending three years in the lower ranks, the 24-year-oldis back in top-flight football andthis time in the colours of Golden Arrows. The man nicknamed“Mbesuma” has already scoredfour goals this season andis one of the reasons coach Mabhudi Khenyeza’s side has pickedup 20 points from a possible 27 in the league. In this interview with Soccer Laduma’s Zola Doda,Nguse talks about his journey to the elite division,comparison with former Kaizer Chiefs striker Collins Mbesuma andwhy there are more goals to come from him this season.
in the Motsepe Foundation Championship and in the DStv Premiership? LN:
There is not muc h ofa differenc e. In the Motsepe Foundation, the tempo is high and they are using a lot of physic al strength. In the PSL, it’s all about marking spac es and the way to defend is c ompletely different. In the PSL, you c an also walk or just pass the ball around, whereas in the Motsepe Foundation you must run for 90 minutes. But it’s not that muc h (of a differenc e).
ZD: You have scored four goals so far, w hich is a good start. Did you expect that?
LN:
When this season started, my aim was to improve a few things in my game here and there, but I didn’t expec t to play as muc h as I have so far. It’s those guys who have been pushing me to work hard. The first matc h I started, against Polokwane City, I managed to sc ore and my confidence went up. In my next matc h against SuperSport United, I sc ored my sec ond goal. By that time my teammates already knew where to play the ball and what I would do if I had the ball inside the box. They trusted me and I understood that if they pass me a ball inside the box, I would sc ore. Even the c oac hes enc ouraged me to take shots bec ause they c ould see what my strength was. Against Cape Town Spurs, I sc ored a brac e when I was c oming bac k from injury. I started that matc h from the benc h and I was unfit. In the sec ond half, the c oac h said, “Mbesuma, go in” and he knew that we were c reating c hanc es and if I had a c hanc e, I would sc ore. And I’m sure that there are more goals to c ome.
ZD: Like you mentioned, your coach w as a prolific striker during his days as a player. W hat does it mean to have a former marksman as a coach?
LN:
It does help a lot bec ause in most of the games I’ve played, when I get a c hanc e, I sc ore. He is someone who pushes me to sc ore and is telling me that even if it’s a half a c hanc e, I have to sc ore. I did watc h some of his matc hes as a player, how he plays. He teaches me a lot of things and the need to fight. When we were not c reating enough c hanc es, he taught me about how to fight for the team and make things happen. With finishing, spac es and movements around the box, he helps mealot.Heoncetoldmethat I remind him of himself when he was young with the way I play. I think things will go well for us this season. ger teams, we know that if we sc ore one goal, we will defend and hit them on c ounter-attac ks. That is what has helped us to be in the position we are in.
ZD: This w eek, you have a KZN Derby against AmaZulu FC in the cup. How do you see the game playing out?
LN:
There are five or six players in our team who have never played in a derby or big matc hes. Yes, there will be pressure, but some guys who have experienc e, like (Nduduzo) Sibiya and (Velemseni) Ndwandwe. I know that they will help us to be relaxed and play the football we know so that we c an progress to the semi-final.
TIME MY FIRST “IT WAS THEM AGAINST PLAYING WERE JUST AND THEY AND I THE BALL PASSING NOT FRUSTRATED WAS SO DO.” WHAT TO KNOWING
ZD: So far, w hich team has been your toughest opponents in the league?
LN:
I c an say Mamelodi Sundowns were the toughest opponents so far. We played against them and I c ame on in the sec ond half when the sc ore was already 3-0, and the final sc ore was 4-0. I didn’t know what to do bec ause they were just passing the ball around. We tried to press them and they made three or four c hanges in the sec ond half. It was my first time playing against them and they were just passing the ball and I was so frustrated not knowing what to do. If I tried to hold the ball, they would press with two to three playe rs and win it bac k. We c ouldn’t finish 15 passes, they pressed. But when we tried to press them, they were able to keep the ball. It was really diffic ult, but we learn. After that, we played against Polokwane City and we managed to bring bac k our c onsinc fidenc e and e then we have never lost another game. That matc h against Polokwane City was my best bec ause before that, I was always c oming in as a substitute. That was my first start of the season and everything went well. We were playing as a team and I was taking shots. Gladwin Shitolo passed me the ball and played a one-two with Angelo van Rooi and sc ored. In the matc h against Cape Town Spu rs, I was restric ted bec ause I was c oming bac k from injury.
ZD: How do they feel at home now that you are playing and making an impact? LN:
They are very happy. My mother is the one who is happy the most bec ause she knows all about the diffic ulties I went through from the previous teams I played for. We used to talk a lot. She knows all about my hardships. But even my brothers were so supportive. The first time I left home to join Baroka, it was really diffic ult bec ause I was still young, but I managed to make friends with other players in the team. I’m not someone who likes to talk and that will always make things diffic ult in terms of adjusting. I didn’t know anyone in Limpopo and most people c an’t speak IsiZulu. It was really hard to adjust. But now my family is happy to see me playing and doing well and hopefully in Dec ember, if we reac h the Carling Knoc kout final, they will attend the matc h. We need to go to the final. I just wish that our supporters c an c ome out and support us this weekend against AmaZulu and we promise them that we will progress to the semi-finals.
ZD: Lungelo, great progress so far. Thanks a lot and all the best.
LN: Thanks. We will do our best.