I had goosebumps
Gwala Stadium meant to him. In addition, Sam explains why he was a nervous wreck the night prior to facing Pirates and what helped him to settle later on.
“He gives me a lot of confidence and he always tells me how good I am.”
Masebe Qina: Hi, Bongani, and thanks for talking to Soccer Laduma readers. How has the switch to Maritzburg United worked out for you so far?
Bongani Sam: I needed the switch for me to get some more game-time and I was welcomed very well here by the supporters, chairman, coaches, technical team, my teammates and everyone who is involved at the club. They all welcomed me very well and I think I am happy. PMB (Pietermaritzburg) is a (nice) place for footballers.
MQ: You have featured in six matches so far, before Tuesday’s fixture against Stellenbosch FC, and all those have been the starts. What’s the feeling like of being back on the field and playing regularly?
BS: It feels great, which is what every player wants. I think I’m happy to be now playing and enjoying football and I hope it will be one of my best seasons, while also helping the team to achieve its goals.
MQ: You marked your arrival at the Team of Choice with a goal in your first match against Sekhukhune United. Take us through that moment…
BS:
Ja, I was so happy because the night before the match, I had a vision of me scoring a goal at Harry Gwala (Stadium) in my first game and when it happened that day, I was so happy. It was a crucial goal for the club because we were 1-0 down and we were playing very well, so we needed that goal, and I was so happy.
MQ: How have you found working under coach John Maduka at the club?
BS: He is an honest coach, so it is nice to work with him. He is honest and he likes people (players) who are working very hard. He believes in playing football and he believes in players going to the field and expressing themselves irrespective of them making mistakes.
MQ: You have previously worked with the Malawian-born mentor at your former club Bloemfontein Celtic. Will playing under him help you rediscover your form?
BS: Ja, I think it will help me because he gives me a lot of confidence and he always tells me how good I am, and I think that gives me a lot of confidence going forward. He tells me that I’m one of the best in the country and that I should not doubt that.
MQ: You also got to feature against you parent club Orlando Pirates earlier this season..
BS: I was a nice feeling playing against them. Ja, I had goosebumps there and there, but it was a nice feeling.
MQ: Why did you have goosebumps? BS: I had goosebumps because I visualised the game before I played it, and it happened just the same way I visualised it. Also, being out and not playing as much football as I would have
After three years with Orlando Pirates, Bongani Sam was allowed to go and get regular game-time at Maritzburg United, albeit on loan, after he struggled to get the minutes as he would have loved to get on the field at the Soweto giants. So far, the defender has done well in resurrecting his career, having featured regularly under John Maduka and even managing to register his name among the goal scorers for the Team of Choice, which has helped him to regain his confidence going forward. Like any footballer, Sam has big dreams for his career. Speaking to Soccer Laduma’s Masebe Qina in this interview, the 25-yearold discusses his move to the Pietermaritzburg outfit and what he plans to achieve through it. The Gqeberha-born player reveals what he was told by some of his former Pirates teammates after facing the Buccaneers recently and what their words did to him and his confidence. The left back goes on to describe the feeling of being back on the field after so long and what the goal he scored in his first match for the team at Harry
wanted to and scoring in my first game in front of that fantastic crowd at Harry Gwala Stadium is something else. I really enjoyed that moment.
MQ: What helped you to settle during the game?
BS: My experience because I have been in the game for a while now, so I think it was not that difficult t ose ttle in. The suppor tf rom the team and the self-belief that I have (also helped me), while I got motivation from the coaches and my teammates, who believe in me. tie?
BS: I had nothing to prove to anyone but to play and enjoy football and the moment. I’m very happy to be here working hard as part of the team to achieve our goals for the season and try to enjoy the moment.
MQ: What did some of your former teammates have to say after the match?
BS: Some of them were happy and most of them were happy to see me playing. I’m talking about guys like Fortune Makaringe, (Olisa) Ndah, Paseka (Mako) and (Siyabonga) Mpontshane. Those are the guys who came to me and told me how happy they were to see me playing.
MQ: You have already played more minutes at the Team of Choice than you did last season in the league, although you did feature more in the CAF Confederation Cup. Will this season help you to become an even better player when you go back to Bucs? BS: For now, I am focusing on the task at hand and that’s me being here at Maritzburg. But it will help me going back, although for now I think I should focus on me being here at Maritzburg.
MQ: We respect that. With Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos giving more players a chance in the national team, you must be working towards that, aren’t you? BS:
I think it is every player’s dream to represent the national team and when you see the opportunities that the coach is giving in the national team to other players, it is motivating to most of us footballers. I have had a chat with Thabo (Moloisane) about this the other day that the doors in the national team are open to everyone and that if you work very hard, the coach will notice and call you and I think I’m working towards that.
MQ: Maritzburg showed some improvement in matches leading