Platinum Stars’ reserve goalkeeper Kabelo Dambe has hinted his desire to remain at the club in the coming season. Dambe joined Dikwena at the beginning of 2012/2013 Absa Premier League season on loan from local giants Township Rollers. His future now lies on the leadership of both clubs but reports coming out from Platinum Stars indicate that they have already made it clear that they want to retain the services of Botswana’s number one shot-stopper.
Having featured in five league games and one cup game for the Rustenburg-based outfit, the towering goalkeeper thinks he still has a point to prove in the high-profile South African league. In Dambe’s view playing for Dikwena has given him a lot of exposure unlike when he was still plying his trade at Mapalastina.
Since the beginning of the season, he has been playing second fiddle to Siyabonga Mpontshane but the injury to the latter meant that the technical team had to call on the Zebras’ shot-stopper. After their end of the season 3-0 drubbing of Supersport United at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium last weekend, Dambe said, “coming here is the best thing ever to happen to my football career. I have learnt a lot from the training I’ve been exposed to ever since I joined from Rollers. The training is more advanced and I would like to spend more time here given the opportunity.”
Despite sitting on the bench for the better part of the season, Dambe said that it did not dampen his spirits.
“What was important for me was to learn from Siya (Mpontshane) and I’m glad that my game has improved. I still believe that I can learn a lot and I’ll continue working hard in the coming season,” he said.
Platinum Stars’ goalkeeper trainer Alejandro Heredia has nothing but praises for the Francistown-born goalkeeper. Having worked with a number of goalkeepers in his career, Heredia said that Dambe is one of the best.
“He’s the greatest asset to the team because he is a fast learner. We’re lucky to have him in our team and we’d like to continue working with him in the coming season. Obviously there are some areas which he needs to improve on,” said Heredia.
In a bid to work on the aspects of Dambe’s game, Heredia has invited the young goalkeeper to the Fifa goalkeepers’ coaching course which started in Gaborone yesterday. Dambe is expected to play a crucial role when the Zebras face Ethiopia and Central African Republic in the 2014 Fifa World Cup qualifiers early next month. Meanwhile, Mogakolodi ‘Tsotso’ Ngele is reported to be on the wanted list of top South African Premier League sides after a wonderful season at Platinum Stars. Though it was his maiden season, Ngele played his best football ever which has seen him scoring 10 goals in 24 league starts. Ngele formed a deadly partnership with Thuso Phala and Henrico Botes in the Dikwena line-up. At the end of their 3-0 win over Supesport United, Ngele said, “It has been a brilliant season for me. I want to have enough rest before we report for pre-season on June 20.”
Whether Ngele will report for the national team camp remains to be seen after he fell out with Zebras’ coach Stanley Tshosane in recent times.
