Nkoana Hoping To
Repay Ajax With Goals
On loan Ajax Cape
Town striker, Thabiso Nkoana, says his mission this season is to repay the
faith shown by Urban Warrior’s coach, Rodger De Sa, by scoring many goals for
Ajax. He explains why he left SuperSport United to join Ajax.
Personal Information
Full names: Thabiso Nkoana
Date of birth: 28 October 1992
Place of birth: Atteridgeville, Gauteng
Nickname: Jetro
Position: Striker
Jersey no: 20
Club: Ajax Cape Town ( on loan from SuperSport United)
Previous Clubs:
Mamelodi Sundowns juniors
Blackburn Rovers
SuperSport United
Honours:
2010 Bayhill Cup
2012 Nedbank Cup winner
2012 MTN8 runner-up
2012 Nedbank Young Player of the Season (all with SuperSport United)
Hi Jetro, how do you
feel about your loan move?
It feels great to be part of the Ajax team. I’m looking
forward to improving as a player under coach De Sa. My dream is to improve. I
have been brought here to score goals for the team and I know that. Ajax have
given me an opportunity to make up for lost time because, as you know, I didn’t
play that much last season.
Having spent most of your
football career around Pretoria, how are you finding the Cape?
Our former coach, Gavin Hunt, used to bring us down here to
Cape Town, so I’m familiar with the surroundings. The only difference is that
I’m not with my family. This is the first time that I have not been with my
family, but I’m no longer a child, I can cope without a family.
Tell us about the
move to Ajax. How did it happen?
What happened is that I grew frustrated with limited game
time at SuperSport, so I asked the club to let me go on loan to a club that
would give me enough playing time. I was then told that coach De Sa wanted me
down here in Cape Town, so I came to train with Urban Warriors and it didn’t
take long before I signed. My immediate aim now is to repay the coach for
having shown faith in me.
You suffered a
shoulder injury last season. How did that injury affect your playing time at SuperSport
United?
That injury did play a part in me not playing many games for
SuperSport last season. It was not the only injury, though, and every time I
recovered from injury, I would play one or two games and then get another
injury. That was very frustrating for me.
We can imagine, but
injuries are part of the game. How do you plan to stay injury free at Ajax?
I think I need to stay focused and I need to do the right
things, on and off the field. I also need to train properly and stay away from
cold drinks and drink more fruit juice. I also need to avoid hasty tackles on
the field.
How does it feel to
know that you were brought to Ajax by a coach that believes in you as a player?
It feels great to play for a coach that believes in you.
Coach De Sa is a very good coach. Everybody saw what he did at Orlando Pirates
when he took the team all the way to the final of the CAF Champions League. His
record with young players also speaks for itself, so I’m sure that we will do
well together here at Ajax. I just wish that I can repay the faith he has shown
in me by scoring many goals for Ajax this season.
What are you hoping
to achieve with Ajax this season?
If I could help the team to finish in the top five and also
win one cup, I would be very happy. On a personal level, I just wish I could find the back of the net
on a regular basis and maybe challenge for the PSL Top Goalscorer Award, but
even if I don’t win it, I would still be happy if the team achieves its goals
this season.
Did the arrival of
Thabani Mthembu and Lerato Manzini influence on you leaving Matsatsantsa and
joining the Urban Warriors?
To a certain extent it did because when I arrived, I asked
myself why the team is buying other strikers when there was someone like me
waiting in the wings to get a chance to play. I then realised that I wouldn’t play
that much this season, so I asked the club management to let me go and they
agreed. Look, I’m not scared of competition, but one has to be realistic about
things. The coach wouldn’t have signed the two strikers if he had no intentions
of using them, so I realised that if I stayed with SuperSport United, then
chances of me playing as a striker were slim, and I didn’t want to be used on
the wings as was the case last season.
Okay, thank you very
much, all the best.
Thanks man.