Gabadinho set for his PSL return tonight
Orlando Pirates’ Malawian hitman Frank ‘Gabadinho’ Mhango says he is eager to resume his chase for the South African Premier Soccer (PSL) League Golden Boot Award tonight.
After a five-month break due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the top-flight league in the Rainbow Nation resumes tonight with a big one between Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns. The focus will be on Mhango who stands proudly at the summit of the scorers’ chart with 14 goals.
Gaba is two goals above his closest chasers—Bradley Grobler (SuperSport United), Peter Shalulile (Highlands Park) and Bongi Ntuli (AmaZulu FC).
In an interview from his Johannesburg base yesterday, Mhango said: “It has been a long wait, but thank God it is finally coming to an end. I can’t wait for tomorrow [tonight].”
The Flames striker also said he is aware that the focus is on him ahead of tonight’s showdown “not only because I am the leading scorer, but also because I scored the lone goal against Sundowns in the first round”.
“But I am not losing sleep over that. Actually, I am very relaxed and looking forward to the match.
“The priority is to help my team win the game other than personal glory. So, yes, I would love to win the Golden Boot Award, but the team always comes first,” he said.
Ironically, the two teams’ last three league meetings have produced just the single goal scored by Mhango.
The 16-team league resumes with Sundowns on second position with 44 points from 21 games, four behind leaders Kaizer Chiefs who have played a game more.
On the other hand, the Buccaneers are fourth with 40 points from 23 matches.
Pirates assistant coach Fadlu Davids was quoted by goal.com as having said that they are looking for nothing but to get their first match under the belt.
He said they have been training for a month and his troops are feeling the spirit of football.
“We’ve been training for close to four weeks now. As the days get closer to the first match, of course, the excitement builds up,” Davids said in a video posted on Pirates Twitter account @orlandopirates.
“The team is excited to get back on the field and getting into match competition time. Of course, from a physical point of view being in lockdown, we had the zoom sessions to keep fit.”
