Shabba may watch derby from bench
SIPHIWE Tshabalala, a veteran of 27 consecutive Soweto derby matches, could experience the rare occasion of watching his club Kaizer Chiefs take on their bitter rivals Orlando Pirates at the FNB Stadium in an Absa Premiership clash this Saturday from the bench.
Having recently recovered from a knee surgery that forced him to miss Amakhosi’s first three matches of the 2016/17 season, Tshabalala’s appearances for the club so far have been limited to those of a substitute.
He remains the only player with a record of featuring in 27 Soweto derbies in a row and could have increased that number in July when Chiefs beat Pirates 2-0 in the Carling Black Label Cup, a pre-season one-day tournament that sees fans picking the starting lineup, but Tshabalala had undergone surgery.
“We are nursing him back to fitness because he has been out for three months due to injury,” said coach Steve Komphela, following Chiefs’ 4-2 penalty shoot-out victory over Maritzburg United in the opening round of the Telkom Knockout at the weekend.
Tshabalala again came off the bench, replacing Hendrick Ekstein in the 74th minute of that cup tie.
“If ever there was an indication of how far he’s come, it was a match we played in Bloemfontein (the Macufe Cup against Bloemfontein Celtic two weeks ago) and even then you will remember that towards the end of the game he started cramping.”
Tshabalala, who has lost the captain’s armband to goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune because of a lack of game time this season, featured in 37 domestic games for Chiefs last season – missing just two.
But the Glamour Boys, despite a stuttering start when Bidvest Wits beat them in their opening league match on August 23 and Cape Town City knocked them out of the MTN8 cup in the same week, seem to be coping without showing any desperation for his quick comeback.
The 32-year-old has made four late substitute appearances in the five matches since his recovery from injury.
“The team has been doing well,” Komphela explained. “And we are saying if it ain’t broke, why fix it? It’s not only Shabba. You have Tsepo Masilela, who is highly capable and unbelievably experienced, but Sibusiso Khumalo has got a chance. (Bernard) Parker is also waiting for his chance. (Lucky) Baloyi got his chance against Maritzburg because George Maluleka is suspended. Keagan Buchanan got his. So we are trying to play around with the team.”