Tshegofatso Mabasa

For all the goals that Tshegofatso Mabasa is now scoring for Bloemfontein Celtic as he seeks to fulfil his top scorer ambitions, he has had to be patient in getting to where he is now. Lovemore Moyo tells the youngster’s story after chatting with the tale

The young Bloemfontein Celtic striker tells of his arduous and patient journey to the top as he looks to have finally found his scoring boots.

Bloemfontein Celtic striker Tshegofatso John Mabasa was told he was lucky to have been born. His mother had battled to have children in the 10 years between giving birth to her first-born Thabo and her second – and last – Tshegofatso. The struggle and patience that his mother Tumi Mabasa had to endure before ultimately having her second child explains why the Celtic hitman was named Tshegofatso – Sesotho for the word “blessing”. There is no doubting just how blessed the Mabasa family felt when little Tshegofatso arrived in this world on January 10, 1996, just three days before the start of the Africa Cup of Nations finals staged in South Africa, which father Jimmy closely followed as a keen football fan. Ironically, just like mother dearest, the Celtic forward has also had to deal with various struggles that have called for him to practise patience over his football career. Tshegofatso was an 18-year-old teenage schoolboy attending Grey College when Ernst Middendorp handed him his professional debut on October 4, 2014 in a Telkom KnockOut tie against AmaZulu. The joy that accompanied that debut didn’t last long as he would go on to make just one further appearance that season and just one more the next term, leaving him with just three substitute appearances in two years. His first team fortunes improved over the 2016/17 season as he made 13 appearances, yet the young forward failed to find the back of the net despite top scoring in the MultiChoice Diski Challenge with 12 goals during that same year. “Obviously it was a bit disappointing, but then when I look at it now, I think I needed to gather myself a bit to keep on improving. The amount of football I played in the MDC helped me a lot in improving my game, so the reason why I’m doing so well now is because of all that I learnt through that experience,” Mabasa says of that testing period, before pointing out what helped him through. “Mental strength! That time definitely did up my mental strength. “Former coach [Steve] Komphela kept telling me I just needed to keep on getting mentally stronger because everything won’t always keep going my way. I managed to get stronger and improve, and here I am now.”

No goal in three seasons

The 23-year-old set the early pace in the top goal scorer chase at his club this season, with his five strikes taking him ahead of the pack with half the season played. Yet this was a striker who had no goals to his name over the first three seasons with the first team and had to patiently wait 37 months after making his debut before his first goal arrived. His encouraging start this term has made many who didn’t know him before take notice, with the Celtic number 17 not shy to make known his goal-scoring intentions this season. “I’m a striker so winning the top scorer award is definitely one of my goals,” he declares, his confidence on the rise since playing his first full 90 minutes in the PSL at the end of November against SuperSport United. “I have set out a target for myself and hopefully I can achieve it. One of my targets this season is to become the league’s top scorer and the target I have set for myself is at least 15 goals; if I get more, then sure. With the way we are playing, we will be creating a lot of chances which means there should be more opportunities that will need to be buried when they come my way. Then ultimately, just like any other African kid, I want to play in the Champions League and make it big in one of the big leagues,” he outlines, before noting that he knows what he has to do to get there. “As a striker I need to be scoring goals and bury all the chances that come my way. I’m always working on my finishing because as a striker it is very important

that you convert. This season I haven’t had a lot of chances, but those that have come my way I have managed to put away. I’m a work in progress.” The influence of former coach Komphela – who left the club halfway through the season – seemed to have rubbed off positively on Mabasa. For all his failures to win silverware as a coach at club level, Komphela remains well-liked and respected for the way he relates to his players, as well as his command of the dressing room. “The main aspect he really helped me with was my mind because I needed to stay positive and be mentally strong,” the striker says of Komphela’s influence. “It is now paying off. Komphela told me I should be a regular in the national team, but then said there were some steps I still needed to go through … eventually it will happen. I just need to learn to be strong and have a willing mindset. I like taking advice, especially positive advice, because it aligns with my dreams and targets I have set.” Mabasa has had to negotiate his way through many coaches at Celtic, from Ernst Middendorp to Clinton Larsen, Serame Letsoaka, Lehlohonolo Seema, Veselin Jelusic, Komphela and now interim coaches John Maduka and Seema again. “It is good for me because I would like to think I’m versatile in the sense that I can play under any coach,” he says. “I have experienced a lot of different types of coaches since I started playing football which I think has been beneficial in that it will help me in the long run.” For all the headlines that Ma abasa has captured, qu uestion marks will be ha nging over his head ab out how long he can co ntinue sticking up his ha nd whenever goals are ne eded, with consistency a diffi fficult trend to master in the e PSL. “I would like to think that in Africa, we need to be a little bit t more serious and take the op pportunities we get, especially as str ikers in this country,” he says. “We have a lo ot of good strikers, but the problem is sco oring goals, so it is something we need to wo ork on, not just as individuals, but as a nnation.”

A Atypical background

Mabasa’s childhood reads vastly different fferent to the majority of PSL playersplayers. Born in Bloemfontein, he grew up in both Langenhoven Park and Botshabelo and attended the upmarket Grey College. “My parents work for the army in Pretoria so that is where they are based. I visit them now and again. However, my dad is now retired. My older brothher stays with my granny in Botshaabelo and has his own little family,,” Mabasa says of his relatives. “My brother used too play soccer when he was youngerr and is actually the one who insistedd I start playing soccer from a youngg age. I think he felt he could live his dream of playing professionnal football through me since he couldn’t make it, so he decided to ta ke it upon himself to encourage mme the way he did. I also played criccket as an all-rounder at school an d had provincial colours from Under-9 untilu I stopped at 13 to focus on footbball. I grew up watching football and being around football-loving people at home, so I also fell in love with foootball from a young age. My dad also influenced me a lot because he is a big KaizerK Chiefs fan.” Just how, then, did he e nd up at Celtic? “I was initially scouted byy Ernst Middendorp during a sc hools’ tournament when he was here at Celtic,” Mabasa revveals. “He is the one whho signed me and g ave me my first profe ssional contract while I was still in matric. I don’t know how it happenedh that Middenddorp came to watch a schoolboy soccer tournaament, but he liked what he saw inn me. In June 2014 he invited me for pre-seasons and I then signed afterwards for Celtic. That season he signed a lot of kids which is why I say I think he was looking for youngsters to sign.” Mabasa, who in 2012 trained at English club Bolton Wanderers’ academy for a week as part of a schools’ programme, says it was an honour to be scouted by Celtic, not just for himself, but by many who believed in his abilities. “Back at school a lot of people used to support me because they knew just how much I loved football,” he says. “I wanted to turn pro so badly that I used to be in the gym at five in the morning before going to class at seven. After school I would then train at the fields with the rest of the team. So when I made my professional debut everyone at school was naturally happy for me because they understood just how much I wanted this to happen.”