Big milestone for Mntambo
100: CENTURY FOR COSMOS CAPTAIN
Rare goal from the skipper sends his team into fifth place.
Jomo Cosmos captain Linda Mntambo has described his 100th appearance for Ezenkosi as a reward for his loyalty. Mntambo capped his momentous achievement with a beautiful goal when his side held Ubuntu Cape Town FC to a 1-1 draw away on Sunday afternoon.
“Some people have told me in the past that loyalty doesn’t pay,” Mntambo told Phakaaathi yesterday. “But it has proven otherwise for me. Playing a 100th match for this big institution is something big, a milestone for me,” he added.
“Scoring was just the cherry on top. I knew going into the game that it was a big occasion for me and all I wanted to ensure was that we won the match. It was by luck that I scored because I am not that much of a scorer. I create. The unfortunate part is that we didn’t win, which would have made it even more special for me,” said the 28-year-old.
Mntambo said Cosmos have what it takes to make it back to the Absa Premiership and they have ironed out some of the problems they had at the beginning of the season.
“We were not doing well away having lost to Highlands (Park) and Tshakuma (Tsha Madzivhandila). We sat down and discussed it. We said if we only win our home games and lose away we will not make it to the top flight which is our collective dream.
“Having five good Under-23 players is very important in this division because of the rule that says you must play two while three sit on the bench,” he said.
Mntambo hopes his team will get the full points on Sunday when they host struggling new boys Uthongathi FC. Ezenkosi are now fifth on the standings with seven points from five matches.
University of Pretoria seem to have released their shackles and got on with business after a shaky start to their campaign. Shaun Bartlett’s side have now moved up to second place after a 2-1 win over Witbank Spurs at the weekend.