Mohau Nkota of Orlando Pirates has shone bright since making his senior team debut. AYANDA NDAMANE Independent Newspapers
Image: AYANDA NDAMANE Independent Newspapers
Attacker Mohau Nkota has been living the dream at Orlando Pirates. And that’s why he’s reminiscent of the few months he’s had since his promotion.
A few years ago, Nkota left the dusty street of Kimberly searching for greener pastures, and he knew that failure wasn’t an option.
Nkota made his breakthrough for the Sea Robbers' junior teams after being added to the structure by the then reserve team coach Mandla Qhogi.
But it was in recent seasons that his star shone bright under club legend Joseph Makhanya before catching the eye of senior team coach Jose Riveiro.
Already a fan-favourite of youngsters, Nkota was drafted into the first team structure by Riveiro before getting his debut against AmaZulu in the league late last year.
The 20-year-old defied his age on his first start against Usuthu as he scored a brace and scooped the Player of the Match award for his outing.
Nkota remembers the pre-match jitters before that game very well. But thanks to words of encouragement from two-close people in his life, he delivered.
“There’s someone whom I talk to everyday which is (teammate and striker) Tshegofatso Mabasa,” reflected Nkota during an exclusive interview with Pirates TV this week.
“He said, ‘you are in the starting lineup, if you work today, my boy, you’ll see, you’ll play and start games going forward’.
“I got a call from my mother as well. She asked me whether I was in the starting lineup. She said ‘don’t worry, you’ll score even if it’s one goal, two or three’.
“I told them ‘it’s fine, we’ll see in the game, but I am going to work’. So came the moment when I remembered that in the DDC, when I am alone, I turn and shoot.”
Engulfed by the euphoria after opening his account with a thunderbolt for the senior team, Nkota raced across the field to embrace Riveiro, thanking him for the opportunity.
With the nerves having subsided, Nkota celebrated in his usual self for the second goal, dancing around the corner-flag with his team. But he had someone to thank again.
“I thanked Rele (Mofokeng) because he’s one of the people that has been there in everything that I do, and when I am not okay, he supports me,” he said.
“He always told me I am in a different environment, so I should have coping mechanisms because he arrived in a similar situation as mine.”
The bond between Mofokeng and Nkota has been evident even during their days in the reserves. So much so that the former has encouraged Nkota to show his ‘other talent’.
“It’s Rele who came to me, and made me sing. When the person who’s singing is not in the team, I would sing,” said Nkota of his abilities to lead the team in the tunnel.
Nkota-Mofokeng bond has gone beyond the shores of SA football as they’ve contributed to the team’s qualification for the CAF Champions League quarter-final.
It was a deja vu first start for Nkota on the continent. He scored a brace in his full start for Pirates against CR Belouizdad in Algeria in the group stage.
Nkota recalled how nervous he was before the game, having just travelled outside the borders of SA for the first time and about to play in a big game and against big boys.
But thanks to the guidance of Riveiro and his teammates, he was able to find himself with the progression of the game and do his bit.
Nkota, though, believes that his form and performance flattened recently, and that’s why he wants to improve in the final stretch of the season.
“I think I started the season well, but coming deep into the season, I haven’t done so much for the team,” Nkota explained.
“I assist a lot, but I don’t score a lot. I want to work on that, and my shooting range because sometimes my balls go over the crossbar.
“As a team, we are doing better as a team. What we wanted to do from the start of the season is going according to plan. There are lows here, and there, but we are doing better.”
Pirates could even get better if they win their Champions League’s quarter-final first leg against MC Alger in Algeria on Tuesday night (9pm kick-off).
And given that Nkota will return to Algeria with less nerves now, he’ll want to do better than he did in his first visit!