Joey Antipas might have spent a single season in the DStv Premiership, but how he plucked Kaizer Chiefs duo Siyethemba Sithebe and Njabulo Ngcobo from obscurity stands-out as his best accomplishment.
The Zimbabwean coach, Antipas, gave the now Kaizer Chiefs duo what turned out to be their breakthrough to stardom.
Sithebe and Ngcobo are both well-established players but how they rose is not as rosy as it looks, as it was marked by rejection.
And it was Antipas, who took them in after rejection to turn them into AmaZulu’s cornerstones.
HOW ANTIPAS SPOTTED SITHEBE
The 2015 Zimbabwe’s Castle Lager Premier Soccer League championship-winning coach revealed how Sithebe captured his sight when he was at Mbombela United.
“I watched a video of Mbombela before our game against them when plotting how to play against them, and I singled him (Sithebe) as their threat,” Antipas.
“We played them and won that game.
“I was impressed with his work rate and bundles of energy he possessed. I spoke to the AmaZulu bosses, and we signed him on a pre-contract three months later [in January].
“When he signed the pre-contract, he was injured. I knew he was a top player who would explode if given the platform.”
For him, it didn’t matter that Sithebe was nursing an injury following an impressive spell during the 2021 COSAFA Cup with Bafana Bafana.
Antipas is also credited for plucking Ngcobo from the AmaZulu reserves as he was re-building Usuthu in 2016 upon his appointment.
ANTIPAS’ FIRST IMPRESSION OF NGCOBO
According to the tactician, Ngcobo was so impressive so much that Antipas instantly named him roadblock.
“He stood out as a central defender amongst those doing trials. The boy was outstanding and never put a foot wrong. I nicknamed him roadblock because he was uncompromising in defence, Antipas told FARPost.
“He grew into a reliable defender. I always knew that he would grow if given the chance in the PSL.”
At the moment, Sithebe and Ngcobo are some of the highly-rated players in the Kaizer Chiefs, although they have not enjoyed much success since donning gold and black jersey.
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