Baxter may have missed a trick in not including Ramagalela

Could Rodney Ramagalela (right) have made a difference on Friday night as Bafana Bafana’s 2018 Fifa World Cup dream ended against Senegal?

It is too easy, with the benefit of hindsight, to make any statement in the affirmative here, and there is little the Polokwane City striker could have done to stop Bafana’s meek first-half defending against the visitors.

But after his exploits for Rise and Shine this season, there is every reason to suggest Ramagalela may have taken one of the excellent opportunities that came Bafana’s way at the Peter Mokaba Stadium. His efforts were certainly enough to win him the Premier Soccer League Player-of-the-Month award for October, and the 28 year-old has followed that up by getting Phakaaathi’s readers’ votes for our own Player-of-the-Month gong for October.

Ramagalela had to beat off some tough competition for our award in Kaizer Chiefs’ Siphiwe Tshabalala, Orlando Pirates’ Thabo Qalinge and SuperSport United’s Bradley Grobler. But his form in October justified his success, with two goals and an assist in the league, while he also helped Rise and Shine reach the quarterfinals of the Telkom Knockout.

Ramagalela has been one of the PSL’s better forwards since joining Polokwane City in 2016, after a less successful three-season stint at Mamelodi Sundowns.

“At Sundowns I was struggling with injuries, and now I am able

to play each and every game, that was when you started to see the best of me,” says the man himself, who is humble about his chances of a national team call-up.

“I don’t have control over that, I just have to wait and see. As long as I keep working hard, I must just wait to see if I am selected. At the end of the day, all South Africans should support the team.”

Ramagalela has carried his form into November, supplying an assist as Polokwane City stunned Orlando Pirates on penalties after a 2-2 draw to reach the TKO semifinals. They face Bloemfontein Celtic at home on Sunday for a place in the final.

“You can’t be surprised to see Polokwane City in the semifinals, from last season we have been going well. We take it one game at a time, so we are focusing on the semifinal and we will see the outcome of that.” adds Ramagalela, who also believes experience has helped him mature into a better striker.

“When you are getting older you learn a lot, if you are young you only use your power, but as you grow older that is when you start thinking. Thinking is making things easier for me.”