Mhango threat looms large for Polokwane City

13 September 2016 - 19:32 By Marc Strydom

Gabadinho Mhango’s pace‚ control and ability to beat and eliminate players has brought a new spark to Bidvest Wits’ frontline. Against a Polokwane City combination – at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Tuesday night – that is one of the few to not look up to standard in the Premier Soccer League this season‚ Mhango just might run merry.Mhango has won two out of three man-of-the-match awards as Wits have made it three wins from three at the start of 2016-17.The Clever Boys have looked at their most threatening when Mhango has partnered Eleazar Rodgers as a deep striker behind the centre-forward.Wits’ new squat and muscular striker‚ with pace and a low centre of gravity‚ is clearly reveling in the class of front-line player he now finds himself surrounded by.“Eleazar is an experienced player. I’m still young and I’m enjoying playing with him and learning from him‚” Mhango said.“We have a good team here. And this is a big team. I feel I do provide the spark. People are telling me what to do – the coach shows faith in me. I’m enjoying doing my best.“We told ourselves that this season‚ because we have worked so hard in preseason‚ we need results. For now we’re paying back for the hard work in the preseason.”Mhango was man-of-the-match again as Wits beat Cape Town City 3-0 in Saturday night’s first leg of the MTN8 semifinal against Cape Town City at Bidvest Stadium.His coach‚ Gavin Hunt‚ said the player had not been at his best‚ having struggled to recover from travelling for international duty with Malawi‚ but did admit Mhango has brought a new spark to Wits’ attack.“He’s worked hard. He’s done well. I didn’t think he was man-of-the match‚ but he was OK‚” Hunt said.“He was away‚ traveled‚ played‚ and came back flat as a pancake. The last two days he didn’t train well. He was short of a yard [against City]. But he’ll get better.”Polokwane are tipped to fight relegation in 2016-17‚ having narrowly survived in 13th place last season.They have gone for a Belgian coach‚ Luc Eymael‚ with a remarkably patchy track record to replace Brazilian Julio Leal – the cynical would say one smooth-talking practitioner of snake oils for another.Eymael’s 25-year playing career saw him turn out for various Belgian third‚ fourth and fifth division teams. His coaching career continued in the same vein‚ and divisions.His biggest claim to fame is coaching DR Congo club AS Vita in 2010-11. Since then Eymael has take positions‚ then exited them almost as quickly‚ at another seven football clubs‚ in the same number of countries.They are: Missile (Gabon)‚ MC Oran (Algeria)‚ AFC Leopards (Congo-Brazzaville)‚ Rayon Sports (Rwanda)‚ JS Kairouan (Tunisia)‚ Al-Nasr (Oman) and Al-Merreikh (Sudan).If that repertoire were not depressing enough‚ City’s signings of Punch Masenamela‚ Nazier Jacobs from Milano United and Randy Ngobe – the younger brother of former Bafana Bafana midfielder Dumisa Ngobe – from Witbank Spurs‚ will be.Wits will have to be quite bad – a lot worse then their recent form – to conspire to not to come away from Peter Mokaba Stadium with the three points...

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