Orlando Pirates striker Tshegofatso Mabasa has opened up on being sidelined by coach Abdeslam Ouaddou in the early stages of the season.
He now is seemingly returning to getting regular action again after making four appearances in a row, having endured a spell of playing time struggles a few weeks ago.
Prior to that, he watched four matches from the stands with Boitumelo Radiopane starting, while one between Yanela Mbuthuma and Evidence Makgopa would a team as substitute.
Mabasa says, during that time, he continually told himself he had to work hard to earn his place. He revealed that conversations with Ouaddou helped him understand it wasn’t his time yet.
“For me personally, what was going through my mind was to just keep improving,” said Mabasa during the media open day at Rand Stadium on Tuesday.
“I knew that each and every day that I stepped onto the field, I wanted to improve, especially in training.
“And the meetings that I have had with the coach, I understood that it wasn’t my time yet.
“Maybe the guys who were playing ahead of me deserved this chance. Radio [Boitumelo Radiopane], for example, deserved this chance. The way that he expressed himself in training all the way from the pre-season, the beginning of the season until now as well.
“Same with Evidence, whoever is there deserves to be there. And at that moment, it was them who were chosen. And we knew and we believed that they were capable of doing the job.”
