Chiefs youngster cashes in
Serbian kingpin Samir Nurkovic has described the young Amakhosi midfielder as a ‘little star’.
The smile is back, for now, on the face of Kaizer Chiefs supporters and players, and none is broader than that of 21 year-old midfielder Nkosingiphile Ngcobo, an Amakhosi development star flourishing in the middle of a transfer ban.
Ngcobo is one of several Chiefs youngsters to have got regular game time under Gavin Hunt, with Happy Mashiane and Darrel Matsheke also coming through more recently, and playing a key role in Amakhosi’s resurgence.
Their selection has no doubt in part been forced by the fact that Chiefs have not been able to sign any players, a factor that also contributed to an abysmal start to the 2020/21 campaign.
Slowly, however, the signs of progress are there for Hunt and Chiefs, and in the long term, they may well benefit from having players like Ngcobo coming through the ranks.
The man who Samir Nurkovic has described as a “little star” already has three goals for Chiefs this season, with two in his last two matches in victories over Cape Town City and Tshakhuma FC.
The composure he showed against TTM in particular was noteworthy, flicking the ball over a defender’s head and volleying past Washington Arubi.
“It was a nice run from the little star. He is a star, the future for Kaizer Chiefs,” was Nurkovic’s full comment to SuperSport TV after the TTM match. “I saw him and I just flicked on and after that he did the rest. (It was an) amazing run he made there and congratulations to him.”
Gavin Hunt was more reserved on Ngcobo this week when contacted by the Saturday Citizen: “He has got to work, but yes, he has got potential, it was a great finish,” he said, clearly keen not to over-hype his young midfielder.
Amakhosi travel to Cape Town to face Stellenbosch FC today and there is still a lot of work for them to do in a busy January to haul themselves further up the table.
Ngcobo was a doubt for the match after being stretchered off against TTM with what appeared to be a thigh injury, but Hunt confirmed yesterday that he is eligible for selection.
Former Chiefs midfielder Stanton Fredericks believes the side’s recent progress is made more remarkable by the fact that so many youngsters have been included in the Amakhosi line-up.
“If you look at all the youngsters that have been thrown in at the deep end, normally when you introduce youngsters into a big team, where the expectations are huge, you would normally do it one at a time,” said Fredericks.
“(In my time) you would throw Jabu Pule into midfield, with Thabo Mooki, into an already successful side, and that assists the boy to settle in, you have guys that will carry you.
“Now, with so many youngsters in the team, that can only build their character.”
Indeed, the likes of Mashiane and Ngcobo have had to really take up the gauntlet, with so many of Chiefs’ senior attacking players not really firing on all cylinders in the new season. Khama Billiat is out for a month with a broken leg, and even before that had been extremely inconsistent.
Lebo Manyama was in no form at all at the start of the campaign, meanwhile, though he did show signs of a return to his best against TTM, combining twice with Mashiane to extend Chiefs’ lead at FNB Stadium.
Nurkovic’s return to the Chiefs side from injury has also been a massive influence on the team. The Serbian is not just a goalscorer, if you make a run, he is likely to find you, as did Mashiane against Cape Town City, and Ngcobo against TTM.
The emergence of Mashiane, Ngcobo, Matsheke, Njabulo Blom and others, meanwhile, is also testament to the work Arthur Zwane has done in the Chiefs development ranks.
The blend of the former Chiefs winger, an assistant to Hunt, along with Dillion Sheppard, is paying rich dividends.