WILLARD Katsande has been tipped to win the South African Premiership Player of the Season following his outstanding performance for football giants Kaizer Chiefs.
BY HENRY MHARA SPORTS REPORTER
The gritty midfielder has played a pivotal role in Amakhosi’s campaign this season where they are in a good position to retain the league title.
So good has been Katsande that he has won the Man of the Match award five times this term.
This has not gone unnoticed by the people around him with Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter recently describing the 27-year old as the best holding midfielder in South Africa.
The general feeling among many South African football fans is that Katsande deserves the award.
Yesterday, Kaizer Chiefs defender Morgan Gould picked Katsande as his player of the season, ahead of fellow Warriors teammate Khama Billiat, Orlando Pirates’ Oupa Manyisa and Sibusiso Vilakazi of Wits University.
“My man, there is nothing more I could say. I mean the people have spoken and as for me, I know what goes through in that man’s mind,” he said.
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“He puts 200% in his work and the award hasn’t been given to him of course, but if he does get it then he deserves all the credit.”
The other refreshing news concerning a Zimbabwean player in the Kaizer Chiefs camp is the return to fitness of striker Knowledge Musona who is expected to make his long awaited return in a league match against Polokwane City tomorrow night.
Musona picked the injury on March 14 in a Caf Champions League match against AS Vita, and despite being expected back on several occasions, he is yet to feature for the club.
While it’s rosy for most Zimbos at Chiefs, it has not been easy for Billiat at Sundowns this season.
The midfielder has been in superb form since his arrival from Ajax and is in the run for the best player of the season but injuries have wrecked his progress.
He was substituted after just 15 minutes in the Nedbank Cup quarter-final loss to Orlando Pirates on the weekend after picking up yet another injury on his return, and could be missed in some telling fixtures as Sundowns go into the crucial run-in period.
Still with the Nedbank Cup quarterfinals, Terrance Mandaza scored a brace in as many minutes against African Warriors to ensure Maritzburg United’s place in the last four of this competition for the first time since their promotion to the PSL back in 2008.
Onismor Bhasera played the whole match for Wits University who beat Bloemfontein Celtic in the other Nedbank Cup quarterfinal and they will meet Kaizer Chiefs in the semis.
In Europe, Mike Temwanjira was outstanding, scoring the only goal when his Romanian club Vaslui shocked the league’s log leaders and Uefa champions League regular participator Steaua Bucureşti.
It was business as usual for Costa Nhamoinesu in Czech Republic as his side Sparta Praha won 3-0 to open a 10 point at the top of the Czech Liga with six rounds of matches left.
