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Kaizer Chiefs might be struggling to get the desired results in the elite league to reaffirm their status as the local powerhouse, but their conveyor belt of youngsters has not stopped running.
Since the reserve league concept – the MultiChoice Diski Challenge –was introduced in 2015, Amakhosi have benefited from a number of young players being fast-tracked to the senior team.
The club’s reserve coach, Arthur Zwane, is yet to win the reserve league title, but the former Chiefs midfielder has won plaudits from Amakhosi senior team mentor Ernst Middendorp.
Nkosingiphile Ngcobo (19) is the latest talent to emerge from the club’s development structures. He was handed his big break by Middendorp after Happy Mashiane (21) got his.
Ngcobo, who made his debut as a substitute against Maritzburg United last weekend, made his first start for Chiefs in the team’s 1-1 draw against SuperSport United on Friday.
There is also Njabulo Blom, another 19-year-old from the academy, who is waiting in the wings after his official promotion to the senior team a fortnight ago.
Middendorp hinted that he was earmarking the versatile player for a role in central defence and defensive midfield areas.
That the coach also tried out Philani Zulu (26) as a defensive midfielder recently could spell the end of an era for the likes of Willard Katsande (33), who has been benched lately.
“If there is somebody in South Africa who is not shy to bring in young players, I should probably be one of the candidates,” said Middendorp after he handed Ngcobo his debut in the 1-0 win over Maritzburg last Saturday.
The German credited Zwane and his technical staff at the academy with doing “fantastic work”.
Ngcobo’s rise follows his stellar performances for the South African Under-20 team at the recent Under-20 Afcon in Niger, where he and Blom helped Amajita qualify for the World Cup and subsequently finish third at the continental championships.
The budding attacking player from Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal was named in the tournament’s best XI.
Although his reappointment as Chiefs coach was met with cynicism and doubt, Middendorp hinted that his constant selection of young players pointed towards the direction Amakhosi were taking – building for the future.
In comparison, Chiefs’ Soweto rivals Orlando Pirates have 17-year-old Augustine Mahlonoko, but the attacking midfielder has not featured much, with just three official matches under his belt, since being promoted from the Bucs reserve side at the start of the campaign.
Meanwhile, with their draw against SuperSport on Friday, Chiefs remained in seventh spot in the Absa Premiership, seven points adrift of leaders Mamelodi Sundowns.
Amakhosi have slight hopes of being in the mix at the top, provided the frontrunners cancel each other out with six league games left.
Chiefs will return to Mbombela Stadium at the end of the month for their Nedbank Cup quarterfinal clash against Cape Town City.
The Cape side lost out on a chance to close the gap between them and Sundowns due to their goalless draw against Polokwane City on Friday.
On the same night, Bidvest Wits returned to winning ways with a 4-2 victory over Bloemfontein Celtic.
Wits are two points behind Sundowns in the race for the title.
. In today’s only league fixture, Chippa United will host Highlands Park at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
The game kicks off at 3.30pm.
