Maluleke mellows like a fine wine

Age just a number for City’s midfielder

Polokwane City skipper Jabu Maluleke feels that he is getting better with age as his resurgence has made him one of the top midfielders in the Premier Soccer League.

With two months to go before his 36th birthday, Maluleke is no spring chicken, but his recent performances suggest otherwise.

He is the backbone of the team that is going for their second consecutive top eight finish. The team’s deadly partnership of Rodney Ramagalela and Rendani Ndou lives off his laser passes and killer touches.

Led by Maluleke midweek, City displayed their resilience as they fought back to force a 1-1 draw against SuperSport United with an injury-time strike from Puleng Tlolane.

“Passing and being mobile are two of my biggest strengths, so I just have to keep going and work hard,” Maluleke told Sowetan. “The football we play here is enjoyable. Not only for the

fans but for the players also. I will just keep going to try and inspire my teammates to some wins in the league.

“At my age, I still feel that I can go on for many more seasons in the PSL. It’s about the right mentality and keeping things simple.”

When City face AmaZulu at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday (3.30pm), Rise and Shine could be without Ndou, who suffered an ankle injury against SuperSport.

The Soweto-born veteran expects more goals to come from his attacking teammates – Ramagalela, who is the leading scorer in the league with nine goals, and Dominic Chungwa.

“My job is to supply them, that’s all I do and they do the rest. I don’t care much about scoring myself.

“I hope Ndou will have a quick recovery because he is very important for us. We work together well at training. The three of us have a very good understanding.”

‘‘ I still feel I can go on for many more seasons in the PSL