In football circles, it’s always said that class is permanent while form is temporary. This literally means that a skillful player will remain so regardless of what happens during his career.
If he falls on hard times, he will always wake up, dust himself and produce his predatory instincts.
One such player is Malepa Bolelang, who plays for Francistown-based side, Ecco City Green and who has since taken the first quarter of the Premier League by storm.
The Moshopa-born striker is currently the leading goal scorer, with nine goals from eight matches. This means his scoring rate is more than hundred percent and he is looking forward to repeat what he did four seasons ago.
He ended up as the leading goalscorer after starting the season with the form he is currently showing.
That was also the time when Ecco City Green ended the Southern domination and became the first team from the north of Botswana to win the Premier League.
A season latter he was also voted player of the season. Interestingly, of the nine goals Bolelang has scored, six of them are from the penalty kicks and, for that matter, they are all classically taken with full confidence.
It is never easy for goalkeepers to tell where he would place them because he uses various tactics.
Bolelang tells Telegraph Sport that it is all because of hard work.
“Honestly speaking, I practice penalty kicks every day before I resume full training. Whatever you see during the matches comes from the hard work I put during the week,” he said.
Ecco City is currently tied at the top of the league with the defending champions, Township Rollers, with 22 points but the latter leads on goal differencs. Both teams are yet to lose a game and they have drawn only once and, for that matter, against each other.
Bolelang emphasized that despite being the leading goal scorer, his main priority is to help his team win the league. And anything beyond that will be a bonus.
“I do not have any target for the number of goals I want to score this season, but I just want to see my team winning the league. If I end up being the top goal scorer, it is good but I would just consider it as a bonus.” he said. For the past two seasons, however, Bolelang was just a shadow of himself as he did not produce the form he was renowned for. He says it was all because of fatigue and injuries.
“I felt really tired, especially last season and I consider that time as a rest period for me. This time around I can feel that I am much refreshed and recharged. I also picked up some injuries and that also contributed to a dip in my form,” he said. Chippa, as Bolelang is affectionately called in football circles, was once in the national team and had to be dropped following his unsatisfactory performance.
With the country currently suffering a drought of strikers, Chippa might be re-called to the national team. But he says it is all up to the coach to decide. He said maybe it is not the right time, adding that it is every player’s dream to play for the national team.
This coming weekend his prowess will once again be put to test when they travel to Gaborone to face the other big guns, Mochudi Centre Chiefs.
