In touch With ...
MATOME MATHIANE - BAROKA FC (PART 1)
Hola Matome, thanks for making time to be with us. You’ve been around for a while, and you actually spent a good number of years at Golden Arrows. Let’s get straight into it…
Yes. I’ll start with a story from my time at Golden Arrows. It was my first season at the club, during the 2012/13 season. We were playing against Moroka Swallows at Dobsonville Stadium and the late Bonginkosi Ntuli and Nkanyiso Madonsela had been promoted to the first team. When we got to the hotel, the team manager gave us those cards that you use as room keys. When you get into the room, there are cards that you put into that little socket and then the lights switch on. So, Ntuli was sharing a room with Madonsela, and I was sleeping next door with one of our teammates. They went into the room using the card and then they sat in the room, but it was dark. They did not know that they were supposed to put the key in the socket so that the lights could go on, ha, ha, ha.
Ha, ha, ha.
They did not know that they were supposed to put the card in so that the lights could go on. Then they came into my room, and they were like: ‘There is no electricity in our room’, ha, ha, ha. They were surprised that the lights in our room were on because their room was dark. They thought their lights were not working at all, but I told them that they had to put the card in that little hole so that the lights could come on. They laughed and they said I should never tell anybody what happened, ha, ha, ha.
So, did you keep it a secret?
When we got to dinner, they kept on saying that I should not tell anybody. They said it should be between the three of us. I did not speak about it, but we kept on laughing about it between the three of us. It was one of those things of protecting my teammates, but it was so nice just laughing at them. After that, when we went to another hotel, they were bragging about it and they were saying ‘this is how you do this. We know how to do this thing’, ha, ha, ha.
Ha, ha, ha. They had the conafter fidence to brag about it you showed them how it was done.
They were busy claiming it like they had known about it all along, ha, ha, ha. The funny thing about that day is that they stayed for about 30 minutes in the dark without their lights on because they thought the electricity was off. Their room was dark, but then they had confidence after that to brag that they knew how to switch on their lights in the room. It was so funny. But that’s how you laughed about it.
Ha, ha, ha. That’s a great story to start with.
Ha, ha, ha. I’ve got another one from my time at Arrows. We were playing against Chippa United. They were coached by Dan Malesela at the time, and they were known for knocking the ball around well. So, we had some young players in the team who were promoted from the MDC (Multichoice Diski Challenge) side. I think we were coached by Clinton Larsen at the time. So, Chippa were problematic in the first half and they were putting us under a lot of pressure. The young players were on the bench and Larsen wanted to bring them on as substitutes, but they were like ‘eish coach, this game is too hot. We can’t go in’, ha, ha, ha. It was supposed to be their first appearance for the club, but they were like ‘not this game coach’, ha, ha, ha.
Ha, ha, ha. Are you for real? Yes, Chippa was too hot that day. I think it was the season they finished in the top eight and those boys were like ‘no ways, we can’t play this game. This game needs senior players’. Coach Larsen did not put them in because I think he also saw that the game was too hot.
They had to be honest, ha, ha, ha.
Ha, ha, ha. Yes, they just had to be honest. But the good thing is that we bounced back in the second half and the game finished 2-2. But that’s how they learnt that things are not easy in the PSL. They could see that it’s hot on the field, ha, ha, ha.
Ha, ha, ha. What a way for them to get introduced to topflight football.
Yeah, it was such a funny moment.
Thank you for your time this week, Matome. We are definitely looking forward to what you have to share with us next week because it’s clear there were hardly ever dull moments during your time at Arrows.
Ha, ha, ha. Yes. I’ve got a few more stories to share.