Chippa skipper Mothwa chasing clean sheet

After being sidelined for five years and starved of game time, Chippa United goalkeeper and captain Veli Mothwa has made his presence felt in the Absa Premiership.

Now that he has been given a chance, the 28-year-old shotstopper has played a pivotal role in the team’s sudden success in the league, earning Chippa three clean sheets in their previous games.

Mothwa will be looking to extend his record on Saturday when Chippa face Cape Town City in a league fixture at the Athlone Stadium (6pm).

“Being patient pays off,” the skipper said.

“If you are patient and you work hard it will definitely pay off.

“It has been five years that I have been sitting out while people come in and take my position and go.

“For five years it’s been hard for me, but I have always told myself that one day my time will come.”

The keeper joined the Port

Elizabeth-based club during the start of the 2015 season from Baroka, but was soon loaned out back to Bakgaga.

Since his return to the Chippa camp in 2016, Mothwa struggled to get game time, until recently.

The Limpopo-born goalkeeper got his break during the AmaZulu game that Chippa won 2-0.

His performance has been consistent in the last three matches.

“I have been working hard to get clean sheets. The defenders have also been a great contributor to my good run.

“The way we are doing things and communicating with each other during the game has really helped us in terms of forming a solid structure at the back.

“We do not want to concede goals because sitting down there [on the bottom of the log] and conceding goals will make matters more difficult for us.

“So we would like to keep the clean sheet until we close for the break.”