Siphiwe Tshabalala produced a moment of magic in Amakhosi’s 1-0 win over the University of Pretoria in last night’s crucial Absa Premiership encounter, where he scored a classy free-kick from the edge of the box.

At a stage of the season where the result is more important than the performance, Shabba’s experience was the telling factor for us as it came as an inspiration out of nowhere.

After the goal, we suddenly found ourselves being more composed on the ball, stroking the ball around with consummate ease and eventually seeing the game off with the three points in the bag. Yes, Shabba’s brilliance on the night must have come as sweet music to his ears, following many fans claiming that he is past his best.

On the night, we needed that bit of guile as no one was daring enough to take the game by the scruff of its neck - luckily we have someone as maverick as Shabba still showing us why he remains one of the most beloved players in the land.

Prior to the game coach Stuart Baxter urged his team to go into upcoming fixtures in a calm state of mind, so as to not get carried away in the run-in period of the season. This may have been the case against Tuks last night, as we may have not been playing at full-throttle.

Experienced players know what’s expected in various circumstances, and lucky for us we had Shabba standing over the ball for the free-kick.

He came under much scrutiny throughout the course season, with critics claiming that he had lost his pace, influence and that his legs are beginning to falter. Nonetheless, Shabba has shown the South African football fans that he is still very much a vital cog in the Amakhosi set-up.

Do you agree?