Bvuma patiently awaits debut
TOUGH: ‘I’M NOT TROUBLED ABOUT MAKING THE FIRST TEAM QUICKLY. I KNOW MY TIME WILL COME’
Khune, Khuzwayo and Sixhaso ahead of him in pecking order.
Kaizer Chiefs development goalkeeper Bruce Bvuma is patiently waiting for the opportunity to make his mark in top-flight football in the near future, and the 20-yearold shot-stopper says it is tough playing for the Amakhosi reserve team.
“People will always tell you to work hard and you’re just one step closer to living your dreams, but to be honest, this is the most difficult step ever,” said Bvuma.
“We do get support from our coaches to keep on pushing hard and they want us to be the best in the business. Because this is a big team with a lot of expectations, we always have to be on top of our game.”
Having spent two years being the No 1 keeper for the one of South Africa’s biggest teams’ reserve side where competition in the goalkeeping department is highly contested and is very intense at senior level, Bvuma is not about to lose hope anytime soon and said his time to shine would come soon.
“The club have good goalkeepers – Itumeleng Khune, Brilliant Khuzwayo and Luthando Sixhaso are some of the finest goalkeepers in the country. The sad part about it is that only one of them gets to be the first-choice keeper, but they are all talented, that is why I’m not really troubled about getting to the first team quickly. I know my time will come one day,” said Bvuma.
Born in Limpopo, Bvuma grew up in Braamfischerville, Soweto, He started keeping goal at an early age while playing for a local team in his home town before being scouted by Bidvest Wits and later on being snapped up by Chiefs.
“Limpopo is my home, but I spent most of my time in Soweto. I started playing football there, playing for Wits. While I was at Wits, we were playing in the same league as Chiefs. They liked me and asked if I could join them – and I did.
“I have spent the last two years playing at the team in the Multi-Choice Diski Challenge and the SAB League. It has been a good journey for me and I have learned a lot. I just have to continue learning and improving my game.”
The young star also said it is difficult for goalkeepers to break into the professional ranks, with the competition in that department fierce.
“It is very tough for goalkeepers to break into the first team, because our number is limited in a team and we have massive talent. Just take a look at all the teams in the PSL. For example, Ajax goalkeeper Jody February is one of the best keepers we have in our country, but he has found it difficult to break into the Ajax first team after being promoted last season,” he explained.
“I am sure you get my point. Another example is from our club. Khune broke into the first team at an early age, but it took time before it happened. After it did, it was another challenge for him to become the first-choice keeper because there was Rowen Fernandez and Emile Baron.”
The Amakhosi development keeper was part of the Gauteng SAB provincial squad which finished third at the SAB Under-21 championships in Limpopo last week.
The young keeper said the competition was great exposure for budding talent, and he is certain several of those players would play in the PSL next season.
“The tournament is great exposure for every player here. There were lots of opportunities and I’m sure it has opened doors for most of the guys who played well during the competition. It is a great initiative by SAB, because it also gives one an opportunity to be scouted by junior national team coaches,” he added.
“I was disappointed by not making it to the final, but this is football, it has its own disappointments. We will do much better next year.”
Bvuma says the last two years playing in the Multi-Choice Diski Challenge (MDC) has really helped him to improve his game and now he is looking forward to the new season.
“We are all looking forward to the upcoming MDC season because we are not pleased with last season’s finish. We finished in the bottom half of the table as we didn’t start the league on a good note. However, we finished reasonably well.
“So we will just have to continue the way we finished and we might find ourselves in the running for the trophy.”