Kgosipula Proving His Doubters Wrong

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  • Has kept 8 clean sheets in 14 league games
  • “Thabo Motang should be given credit for his rise” – Fabian Zulu

BONGANI MALUNGA

During Peter Butler’s Zebras tenure he always made sure to include Township Rollers’ then third choice goalkeeper Keeagile Kgosipula in his national team squads, the move was largely criticised as many suggested that a player who was inactive at club level should not take the place of other goalkeepers who were regulars at their respective clubs.
The former Zebras coach predicted the player’s meteoric rise back when he was still considered unworthy of a place in the senior national team because of his inexperience. However, Kgosipula was still a reputable member of the national youth teams, he played for the under 17 and under 20 teams and quickly caught the eye of the senior team selectors.
Kgosipula was an understudy to the likes of Kabelo Dambe and Mwampule Masule at club level and was a third choice goalkeeper at best. The arrival of Serbian coach Nikola Kavazovic has seen the 22 year old goalkeeper become a first team player.
Also aided by the long term absence of Kabelo Dambe through injury, Kgosipula started the club’s first eight league games of the season, he recorded a remarkable feat of five clean sheets in his first eight games.
The young keeper was then dropped for the next five games as Dambe returned from injury, he made his return to the first team against Sankoyo Bush Bucks and Extension Gunners whereby he kept consecutive clean sheets as he demoted Dambe to the bench.
The sale of Dambe to Bloemfontein Celtic in the January transfer window signalled the confirmation of Kgosipula’s status as the club’s undisputed first choice keeper, the shot stopper has not looked back since getting a permanent place between the posts. In total he has recorded 8 clean sheets in 14 league games so far and overall he has 9 clean sheets in 17 games in all competitions.
Football analyst Fabian Zulu is of the view that the keeper’s positive attitude and his willingness to learn are key factors in his ascension to the first team picture. “He is improving in each and every game he plays. His attitude is incredible, he went from being a third choice player to a first team keeper, this shows that he had the right attitude and dedication, he did not give up. It’s obviously tough to stay patient in today’s game but he has done just that. Thabo Motang deserves special praise for helping in his development, he worked with the boy for so many years and he is an example of the many good keepers Motang has helped produce,” Zulu told Gazette Sport.
“Kgosipula is a very active goalkeeper, this keeps him in the game. He also communicates well with his defenders. Another great attribute he has is his distribution, he is one of the best in that department. I believe he is a big fan of Itumeleng Khune and you can see the influence in his game, he has modelled his game on his goalkeeping idol. He also has a tight and firm grip, he rarely mishandles the ball, the early signs are encouraging, he looks set to be a top goalkeeper,” Zulu concluded.
Kgosipula was a part of Rollers’ 3-0 win over Al Merrikh in the CAF Champions League this past weekend.