Orbit College FC coach Pogiso Makhoye has come to the defence of his captain, Olaoleng Mokgosi, who other clubs often underestimate due to his perceived ‘fat’ physical appearance.
Makhoye was speaking in his first post-match interview of the new season following their 1-1 draw with Baroka FC in a Motsepe Foundation Championship tie at Global Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
This is Orbit’s second season in the SA second-tier since gaining their promotion in June 2023.
In the last term, the North West club finished in ninth position after collecting 39 points from 30 outings. Having started the campaign like a house on fire, the club sat at the top of the log standings for most of the first round of last season.
COACH POGISO MAKHOYE ON EXPERIENCED DEFENDER OLAOLENG MOKGOSI
Coach Makhoye insists that many clubs are sleeping on Mokgosi, whom he describes as the spine of the team. He further stated teams are deceived by his body structure as they think he is slow.
To prove that, Mokgosi played a significant role in Orbit last season where he featured in 28 games across all competitions.
“Most of the teams are undermining him. He is the top player, especially at Orbit. I would say he is Orbit College, without him we don’t have a team,” said Makhoye.
“I’m so happy with him. His body structure deceives a lot of teams because they think that ‘this one is too fat’. He is not fat, it’s muscles, and also, he is not slow because he can read the game more than these quick players.
“So, I think he is managing these young boys very well. If you check even on our starting eleven, the average age in that team was 25 because it was only Mokgosi who was over 30, and the rest is less than 25.”
Makhoye continued: “We started with a very young team, and we are not afraid to play five U-23s like other teams who would say they would rather go for experience.
“We need to give these young boys a chance to express themselves and also to show the whole country that we need to believe in these young boys.”
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