Stars stopper revels in cup glory
Thela Ngobeni (left) stood proudly with his winner’s medal around his neck inside Cape Town Stadium on Saturday night, after Free State Stars had put up a tremendous defensive effort to capture the Nedbank Cup.
“Obviously I am very happy and grateful for the opportunity Free State Stars have given me,” said Ngobeni, who was also announced yesterday as a nominee for the Player-of-the-Tournament award.
Ngobeni was ever-present in the Stars side as they stormed to a stunning success, culminating in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Maritzburg United.
“The guys have been doing well, we are happy to have a great bunch of individuals willing to fight for each other. We really wanted to win for the chairman (Mike Mokoena) who has been pumping money into the team, without any sponsors.
“This one is different, because I have been playing myself and I am grateful,” added the 29 year-old, whose previous medals came sitting on the bench at Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns.
Ngobeni is only on loan at Stars from Masandawana and it remains to be seen if he will be in Bethlehem next season, though he says he would love to play in the Caf Confederation Cup.
“To be honest I have always said that I want to play, I want to enjoy myself … I don’t care where. Stars now have the opportunity to play in Africa and I would love to be part of that experience.”
The Stars goalkeeper also paid tribute to head coach Luc Eymael, who took over the side early in the season and managed to get them to a sixth-placed finish in the league, as well as the Nedbank Cup title.
“If you look at how the team is playing, we go on the field with that spirit … I am happy to be part of the team and grateful to the coach … he has made me improve,” he added.