The problems at Moroka Swallows played a part in opening the door for Tshegofatso Mabasa to return to Orlando Pirates, having spent the first half of the campaign on loan to the Dube Birds. Mabasa had been away from the Buccaneers for some time, having also spent a season on loan to Sekhukhune United. Now back with the Soweto giants, the former Bloemfontein Celtic striker wants to make the most of the opportunity that has been presented to him. He has made a promising start on his return to the club, and he will be looking to build on this going forward. In this interview with Soccer Laduma’s Tshepang Mailwane, the striker talks about why he was happy with his performance in the Soweto Derby last weekend and how his return to the Buccaneers happened.
Tshepang Mailwane: Howzit Tshego, thanks for being with us. How crazy was the Soweto Derby last weekend with all that action and goals?
Tshegofatso Mabasa: I played in the Telkom (Knockout) a few years ago and we lost on penalties. I started that one. Then the following week, I think we played a derby in the league at FNB Stadium (in 2019), where they beat us 3-2. They got a last-minute penalty where (Daniel) Cardoso scored. Then I was involved in this one where we won 3-2. It’s always a special occasion playing in the derby. It’s something that you can’t explain. The atmosphere alone… as soon as you stepped onto the field, you could hear the noise in that stadium. It’s something else and it gave me goosebumps. It’s one of my proudest moments in my career, to be part of the Soweto Derby. I missed it a lot. As a footballer, all you want to do is play football in front of big crowds and on Saturday that’s exactly what happened. I think we enjoyed the occasion. But we didn’t play the occasion, we played the match, and that’s why we managed to put in that performance and get all three points.
