Six months in politics is the equivalent of a lifetime. In football, it might as well be an eternity.
That’s surely how Stellenbosch FC defender Thabo Moloisane feels at the moment. The 24-year-old was facing relegation towards the end of last season with Maritzburg United, but now he is living the high life in the picturesque Winelands and preparing for the Carling Knockout Cup final against TS Galaxy at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday (3pm kick-off)
It’s been an amazing turnaround for Moloisane with the central defender forming the spine of Stellies’ push for a first cup title in the top flight.
He has certainly been at the epicentre of Steve Barker’s team’s amazing 2023-24 season thus far.
The relatively young club are currently third in the DStv Premiership and have already reached the MTN semi-finals this season, but now they want to go all the way.
Moloisane cannot help but get emotional over the change of his circumstances in such a short period of time.
“A lot can change in football in a couple of months. But I am always grateful for the opportunities that have come my way,” he told the media yesterday.
“I do pinch myself for where I find myself. Going back to the hotel after the semi-finals I was in tears and thinking how everything has changed over the past six months.”
Moloisane claims he could feel he was entering a a special environment from the moment he arrived at the Lentelus Sports Complex, the training venue of Stellenbosch FC, six months ago.
“I think at the start of the season I said this team is full of youngsters and it’s a team that people are going to be talking about. I am glad that what I said is actually happening,” he said.
“I came here and I immediately felt the aura around the room. There are a lot of players who work hard, listen to one another, and want to fulfil their dreams.”
It certainly hasn’t been an easy journey for Stellenbosch in reaching their first cup final.
They have been forced to travel to all their Carling Knockout fixtures, starting with an away trip to Gqeberha to face Chippa United, followed by a journey up north to Polokwane City, before the semifinal victory over Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal.
Now they have to head back to the East Coast in search of the club’s maiden silverware. Moloisane feels that playing regularly away from Stellenbosch’s Danie Craven fortress so often has only made the team stronger, though.
“It’s been a pretty tough journey, having to play so many away games from the start of the tournament to the end,” he said.
“It shows that we are a team that’s very committed, willing to fight for everything. It’s great to be part of a team that has taken the club this far. We want to make history.”
IOL Sport