Leicesterford City FC coach Stanford Nkoane has opened up on why the Motsepe Foundation Championship side moved to secure the services of veteran midfielder Fortune Makaringe.
Makaringe joined the club in January 2026 after parting ways with Cape Town City FC at the end of the 2024/25 season, where he spent just one season. Before his move to Cape Town City, Makaringe had spent five seasons at Soweto giants Orlando Pirates.
The 32-year-old has now found a new lease of life at Leicesterford, featuring in a handful of matches. This includes coming in as a second-half substitute during the 2-1 win against Baroka FC at Mafori Village on Saturday afternoon.
WHAT FORTUNE MAKARINGE BRINGS TO MOTSEPE FOUNDATION CHAMPIONSHIP SIDE
“He brings a lot of maturity. For example, today [against Baroka], we anticipated scoring early in the first half, two or three goals,” said Nkoane.
“We knew that we were going to manage more because he is someone who can dictate from deep. He can also dictate from higher. He has the skill, he can dribble, and a lot of fouls on him will be a plus for us.”
WHY LEICESTERFORD FC ARE NOT YET SAFE FROM RELEGATION DANGER
Meanwhile, Nkoane has rubbished suggestions that the win against Baroka has guaranteed their safety from relegation. The club currently sits ninth on the log with 30 points—nine above the drop zone—with 18 points still to play for.
“I can’t say we are safe from relegation. At this level, you need 35 or 36 points to say you are safe. So we are still on 30 and have six games to play. So we still need to push. There are areas that we need to get things right,” he said.
Leicesterford’s next game will be away to Highbury on Sunday, 18 April, before they host promotion chasers Casric Stars at home on Saturday, 25 April.
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