Siyabonga is Bucs’ go-to guy when they’re in a mess

ORLANDO Pirates coach Kjell Jonevret described the club’s goalkeeping department with the enthusiasm of a parent staring at a doodle and has to pretend it’s a masterpiece.

“I think all of them are okay,” Jonevret said without much conviction. “I am not a goalkeeping specialist but I think that they are on the same level . . . It would be good to have a clear No 1, and then have someone who is backing him up and trying to learn. We have to see in winter [at the end of the season] if we are going to do something about that. We don’t have a keeper who plays for the national team.”

The Buccaneers’ woes have been compounded by their porous defence that has seen the three men who have been at the helm of the club field four goalkeepers in one season. Felipe Ovono was removed from the transfer list. His howlers returned him to the undesirable list. Brighton Mhlongo and Jackson Mabokgwane didn’t inspire much confidence, each beaten six times in a match.

Enter Siyabonga Mpontshane, who is trying to establish himself as the club’s No 1 gloveman. At one point he looked to be on the way out, languishing in the stands and relegated to the reserve team.

“Not once did I think about leaving the club or regret my decision to join Pirates from Platinum Stars,” Mpontshane said. “What kept me going is knowing that I was in that situation not because I am a bad goalkeeper but because I hadn’t been given a proper chance to prove myself. I didn’t blame myself for not playing regularly. I knew what I am capable of. I helped Platinum Stars win two trophies [the MTN8 and Telkom Knockout in 2013, both against Pirates], a rare achievement for a small team. I couldn’t have suddenly turned into a bad goalkeeper overnight. I just needed a chance to show that.”

Jonevret has given the 31-year-old a proper chance. But just like the other goalkeepers, Mpontshane committed a cardinal sin in the 1-1 draw with Baroka FC on Wednesday.

“Even the best goalkeepers in the world make mistakes,” Mpontshane said. “The most important thing is how you bounce back from that. I think that if that mistake happened in my first game back, it would have killed me. But it happened at a time when my confidence was growing because I think I was doing well for the team. The reaction from the fans showed that . . . An in-field player can make a number of mistakes and score one goal, he is a hero. A ‘keeper can make a number of saves but the mistake you make can define you.”

He would know that, having started out as a striker before converting to a goalkeeper where he has constantly had to prove his worth in his adopted city.

A young Mpontshane from Ingwavuma moved to Diepkloof, in Soweto, with the belief that there are more opportunities to make it big in Johannesburg.

Mpontshane got his big break at Bidvest Wits. After impressing in the club’s under-19 side he was promoted to their reserves and should have graduated to the first team.

“Politics stood in my way,” he said. “I was excited when I heard that I would be promoted but when it didn’t materialise, I chose to be positive about it. I just had to prove that I can succeed elsewhere.”

A ’keeper can make a number of saves but the mistake you make can define you