THE PENALTY KINGS! Kaizer Chiefs do it again... but questions have to be asked

ON THE SPOT: Willard Katsande again

THERE'S a trend emerging in the PSL. And it has to be talked about. Kaizer Chiefs, utterly ineffective up front but still in the title race, have been awarded FOUR PENALTIES in their last FOUR GAMES.

It's never comfortable having a go at South Africa's most popular club. They have a reputed following of 15 million in a nation of 60 million. They are an institution. They are the current champions. But it's getting hard to ignore the help they're getting from South Africa's sub-standard officials in recent weeks.


Here are the facts: Apart from the drab 0-0 draw with current leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, we have the Telkom KO final, the 2-1 win over Bidvest Wits and Sunday’s 1-0 win over Bloemfontein Celtic as evidence.

The two penalties in the final were simply laughable. Chiefs were never in the game. Referee Khulisani Qongqo offered Steve Komphela’s lacklustre troops a way back in TWICE but Siphiwe Tshabalala and Camaldine Abroad both saw their penalties saved by Man of the Final Dennis Onyango.

Triumphant Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane simply laughed about the spot-kicks afterwards: “You all saw it… you know” he said, and avoided another PSL fine. After all, it was December 16, Reconciliation Day.

Fast forward three days to the big League clash: Against Bidvest Wits in Cape Town on December 19. Gavin Hunt, slightly more aggressive than Mosimane, was beaten 2-1 after referee Daniel Bennett offered Chiefs another penalty - this time it looked a reasonable shout - amid a couple of crucial pro-Chiefs decisions, including a missed off-side for the winner.

Hunt said: “We knew Chiefs would get a start, you saw it, but what can we do? Wits are an unfashionable club. You know how it works.”

And so to Sunday in Bloemfontein. Good atmosphere, poor surface, not a great game. Chiefs were probably the better side but when Malawian Gabadinho “Frank” Mhango broke in to the box for Celtic and was tripped by Tower Mathoho, referee Thabo Mkosi immediately blew.

But was it a penalty? NO! He cautioned the unfortunate Mhango for “simulation” and Steve Komphela’s men were off the hook. At half-time, we all saw the replays. We all saw the truth.  Celtic had been robbed.

Then, with 70 minutes gone and not a goal in sight, Chiefs new signing William Twala, on as a sub for the lamentable Ugandan Sula Matovu, hit the post with Cameroonian goalkeeper Patrick Tignyemb getting a touch.

That looked like it was going to be the closest thing to a goal we’d see - until Twala fell over running in to the box with Aphiwe Lubisi minutes later. Former Orlando Pirates winger Twala, signed in some kind of swap deal with Chippa United which saw him “released from his contract” must be laughing like a drain.

Lubisi had a hand out as Twala went across him. He touched his back. There was contact. But then came the Olympic dive and the now-traditional PENALTY FOR KAIZER CHIEFS!

And who better to put it away than the Willard Katsande, for me the best defensive midfielder in the country. After those two Telkom final misses, Katsande - who celebrated his 30th birthday last Friday - assumed the responsibility against Wits. And he did it again in Bloemfontein.

Of course the AmaDrawsi - heading towards 8 draws out of 14 (and threatening SuperSport United’s 2012-13 record of 17 in a season) - won’t agree but it feels like Katsande is currently Chiefs best - perhaps only - threat. From 12 yards of course.

He now has as many goals as the once-prolific Bernard Parker (2) and with 16 games still to come in a poorly scheduled PSL, he could yet reach double figures if the penalties keep coming. Nobody deserves it more than Katsande, a humble, terrific character.

But the point is, people see the decisions. The penalties. My phone was red hot on Sunday with people involved in the game questioning another spot kick win for Chiefs, who have lost just once this season and are now FIVE short of Sundowns and Aces at the top.

But when Serame Letsoake came out to talk to Robert Marawa after the game, Chiefs coach Steve Komphela was asked to stay in the frame. And when the crucial penalty question came, the articulate former team-mate stopped the under-pressure Letsoake from replying.

“Of course it was a penalty, there was a shove,” said Komphela, talking over his rival. He then blathered on about enemies and friends and when he walked away, with Letsoake crying “Steve, Steve…” the penalty question was NEVER repeated.

I’m not saying the debate is deliberately avoided. Or that replays of these incidents are deliberately avoided by SuperSport in their bid to stay cosy, even AmaKhosi, with the big guns of the PSL.

All I’m saying is: WE SEE YOU. Four penalties, four games. Nobody can prove anything (though football and cricket match-fixing have been uncovered in this country several times in recent years) but it can’t be ignored.

The people who KNOW football are aware. Coaches, players, former referees and elderly journalists who have spent 40 years covering football all over the world. We know. It has to stop. Please.

STUART BAXTER EXCLUSIVE: The best season of my career, the struggles... And the future

You wouldn't think Stuart Baxter had just completed the most satisfying season of his long and varied coaching career. You'd hardly notice he has just broken a host of PSL records to guide Kaizer Chiefs to 69 points and a 12-point cushion over crushed champions Mamelodi Sundowns.

In fact, speaking to Stuart on Monday afternoon, as the hype over coronation settled after a sell-out game at the Nelson Mandela Stadium left one fan shot dead by a police revolver, you'd think Baxter had been in charge at Choppa United or Queens Park Strangers.

Oh, he's proud. And he's content with what his squad achieved given that their best striker only scored 7 goals and their only big signing failed to score a league goal in half a season.

Barker, born in Wolverhampton 61 years ago, has coached all over the world, from Scandinavia to Japan and he concedes: "In terms of records and domination, you're right, it has to be the best. It was a real struggle at times, people may not have appreciated that, but we got the job done.

"There was a point, after all the hype over our fabulous start, when it looked like a dip was coming. When we lost and drew a couple, people were saying crisis.

"But this time the lads dug in, they held their nerve and we got the train back on track with some decisive 1-0 wins and although our rivals were asking "Is this another Chiefs crisis" we were able to make sure it didn't develop, and suddenly we were winning again.

"The key? Our defence, obviously. Tefu Mashamaite and Tshepo Masilela were magnificent, so was Tower Mathoho and Siboniso Gaxa, like Tefu, barely missed a game.

"Most of our goals came from set pieces or midfield, where Willard Katsande turned in to more of an all-rounder, making 25 yard passes and intercepting rather than clobbering the opposition.

"Willard even got a goal in the final game, we celebrated that one - we'd worked on a new set piece for two weeks to set it up!"

But for a man who has just won a double of PSL and MTN8 and taken his prize money over three seasons to over R50m, there was little of the Mourinho swagger.

Baxter leaves for Sweden and the UK at the end of month, like he has for the last two seasons. but this time, there are important meetings to be held with Bobby Motaung about signings, new contracts and the mythical academy at Naturena.

Though Baxter has played little part in previous signings - notably David Zulu's R4m move with a knee injury - this time he intends to play a major role in a winter of substantial change at the club, with TWELVE players headed for the exit door.

And he insists that, if he stays at the club, the African Champions League will be taken seriously, as it was this year, though Chiefs suffered a first round knock-out at the hands of Morocco's Raja Casablanca.

Baxter insists: "People who understand the game know we went to Casablanca with a full squad, we won a lot of friends for the way we played. we travelled knowing we had lost the home leg and had vital domestic games to worry about but we DID take it seriously and lost to one of the best teams in Africa.

"We can't beat teams like that without investing in our squad. You know we needed a striker. We had James Keene over for a look, he did well. He's 29, did well in Germany, and he was a free agent. The deal was on the table but it was ignored.

"There are two or three  local strikers we're looking at but there's not much about. You know about Rob Earnshaw (former Wales international) being interested and that's the kind of thing we have to consider.

"We don't want to go down the root of Japanese football, opening doors to players who have passed their sell-by date but look at what New Zealand's Jeremy Brockie has achieved in half a season.

"That's the kind of player I'm talking about, looking for quality where ever we can find it."

Baxter touched on his dream of a new Kaizer Chiefs Academy - the last was shut down five years ago after age cheating problems - and insists: "The Academy has moved on a little bit further, the pitches and dressing rooms are finished at the village, accommodation and education facilities are underway.

"But now need the coaches, a technical director. It hasn't always gone as I would have hoped."

On the thorny subject of dwindling PSL attendances, Baxter and his champions enjoyed huge crowds at Atteridgeville and Port Elizabeth AFTER the title was won but he admits: "It seems to be a problem in South Africa, it could be economics,  I don't know, sometimes we had fantastic support, sometimes felt we needed a bit of a hand from the AmaKhosi in numbers when it mattered most."

But the real problem, perhaps the underlying factor behind his low-key response to a clinical championship charge, lies in Baxter's involvement in refreshing the squad this winter.

He is reluctant to make waves about his future, but ANY top African club - and those beyond our continent - would surely show an interest in acquiring the man who has led Chiefs to two League titles - without massive spending - in three seasons.

"If I stay," he says cautiously, "We are going to have to have a big rotation. I'd have to be a mug to take over a squad I don't choose myself."

When I suggest five players who may not be offered new contracts he says: "I can come up with 12 without even stopping to think. That's a major overhaul. That's what these meetings are about before I leave for Europe. I need to have my input.

"If I get fobbed off, I will cast the net, look at other opportunities. I will allow rumors to gather strength. You can say 12 players will be moved out, if they're replaced by somebody else, how can I stay?"

Sent from my iPad

Kaizer Chiefs and the perfect start: Baxter refuses to get carried away and the AmaKhosi refuse to turn up in numbers

KEY ROLE: Willard Katsande

WHILE everybody is scrabbling about trying to find out just how long South Africa’s perfect start to a season extends, Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter is quietly getting on with what could be a sensationally good third term at Naturena.

Saturday’s workmanlike 1-0 win over Maritzburg United was nothing to marvel at in isolation. Having won the MTN8 without conceding a goal, the Telkom KO campaign is now underway. Add that to their seven wins to start the PSL season and you come up with remarkable statistics: 12 wins, two goals conceded, three goalkeepers used.

That’s when you start to get excited, along with the estimated 15 million AmaKhosi who wander the streets of South Africa, occasionally attending Kaizer Chiefs matches – far too rarely if you ask me. A team in this sort of form demands a HUGE following.

Baxter, heavily criticised on the social networks for dropping MTN8 final Man of the Match Brilliant Khuzwayo and sticking young Reyaad Pieterse in goal for the injured Itumeleng Khune, appears to know exactly what he’s doing.

This week, he could have all three custodians back in training. Up front, he perseveres with the slightly uncomfortable Kingston Nkatha situation, while relishing the return of back-from-surgery Bernard Parker, who scored the only goal on Saturday.

In midfield, he can fiddle while the others burn: either of the Georges, Lebese or Maluleka; Reneilwe Yeye Letsholonwane, Mandla Masango, Simphiwe Tshabalala are all options. Regular readers of this column will know all about the staggering consistency of defensive midfielder Willard Katsande, the key to it all.

With a perfect start building to something of a phenomenon, Baxter stoically refuses to celebrate. “It was okay. We played well for half-an-hour. But we can do better.”

The Wolverhampton-born coach has been thrown to the Wolves before. After winning the title in his first season – no other foreign coach has managed that – the long unbeaten record last season fell apart and Mamelodi Sundowns’ incredible depth saw they surge away with the PSL championship.

Not this time. Baxter is carefully grooming new players, forging a larger squad as the African Champions League looms. He knows, after years in far flung corners of the football-speaking globe, that mistakes can be excused. But repeating last year’s blunder just isn’t an option. He cannot afford another end-of-season collapse.

“I’ve got two full squads in training,” Baxter told me, “We can mix and match this season. We might need to. We aren’t there yet, but we are getting there.”

As Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns progressed to the Telkom KO quarter-finals with a similar lack of panache (Ajax Cape Town may just be the early favourites for this particular piece of silverware, though coach Roger De Sa returns to Pirates in a tough quarter-final in Orlando), Baxter won’t be troubled by those who say the runaway train is about to derail. He’ll accept a draw or even a defeat over the next few weeks. That’s football. Chiefs are not Invincibles… yet.

The point is, Baxter has enlarged his squad. He has set out his stall while staying well ahead of his big-spending rivals. Sky-scraping centre-backs Tefu Mashamaite, Morgan Gould and Tower Mathoho can launder their clean sheets in front of any one of the three goalkeepers. Katsande, relying more and more on interceptions and less on rock-hard tackling, holds the midfield together no matter who surrounds him. Bernard Parker – with Nkatha and the soon-to-return Katlego “Killer” Mphela – can get the goals necessary to maintain their strong start.

If they fail, impressive reserve goal-getter Hendrick Ekstein, 23, is pushing hard or a place in the first team squad.

Right now, Kaizer Chiefs are showing the kind of form any side in the world would envy… while their coach is preparing for a long, long season. The only thing I fail to understand is this: why aren’t the mighty AmaKhosi turning up in their thousands to see this footballing phenomenon?

 http://www.ballz.co.za/bollockz-neal-collins/kaizer-chiefs039-willard-katsande-on-soccerballz/3662

VIDEO AND WORDS: Willard Katsande: the unsung hero on his key role in tonight's MTN8 final

BOOM! Willard Katsande scores against Pirates

WILLARD KATSANDE could well be the anonymous workman at this evening's MTN8 final against Orlando Pirates in Durban. But don't be deceived. Even on a bad day he plays a huge role in the Kaizer Chiefs machine, unbeaten in NINE games so far this season.

To me, the 28-year-old Zimbabwean is head-and-shoulders ahead of his PSL rivals as "the destroyer" and eminently capable of doing better than, say, Mikel Arteta as Arsenal's defensive midfielder given his form over the last two years under Stuart Baxter. So often the unsung hero, he is the man coach Stuart Baxter NEVER rests.


The Soweto Durbsy (as I'm calling it) could even be decided by "Salt 'n Vinegar" (Willard's was a famous brand of potato crisps in this country), having scored the only goal in the Soweto Derby in front of 90,000 at Soccer City earlier this year.


"It was incredible to score my first goal for the club in THAT game, but for me, I'm not promising to score in Durban. My job is to break down the opposition attack, to give the defence balance. That's what I'm focused on.


"To score is a bonus for me, my job is to help Kaizer Chiefs win the game."


A response typical of the man.


Nominated on the three-man shortlist with Sbu Vilakazi (Bidvest Wits) and Alje Schut (Mamelodi Sundowns) as Player of the Season last term, Katsande says: "That was the highlight of my career, I will cherish that memory.


"When you are growing up as a player, it is a dream to play for a club like Kaizer Chiefs, the biggest club in Africa. As a youngster I played for Gunners in Harare and we beat Al Ahly. But now my life is a dream.

"The only disappointment at the moment is that Zimbabwe were knocked out of the AFCON qualifiers by Tanzania earlier this year. Preparation for international games in Zimbabwe needs to be fixed."

Final words: Willard's SMS this morning

On the thorny subject of discipline - I used to called him Cardsande for his ability to pick up cautions - the typically modest but always crisp Willard response is: "I am learning. Tinashe Nengomasha recommended me to Kaizer Chiefs and he is the one who tells me: work on your interceptions. You don't always have to make the tackle if you intercept.

"You have to be 100 percent sure you are going for the ball otherwise they are going to book you. I am working on that!"


The full Willard Katsande interview is available below. You can see me change from Orlando Pirates shirt to Kaizer Chiefs at around 10mins. I am neutral on the Soweto rivals. But on this I have bias: Willard Katsande is the kind of bloke who makes you happy to do your job.


Watch him carefully today at the Moses Mabhida. Watch the work he does. How many times he himself gets clobbered but gets up smiling. All youngsters should watch and learn.

SOCCERBALLZ! my innovative football show on www.ballz.co.za with Mark Fish airs every Thursday from 9am-11am. See Ballz' Youtube channel for our growing library of fascinating football interviews with the big names.

You can also follow me on www.twitter.com/nealcol for all the latest sports news and read my “Neal and Pray” column every Tuesday in www.thenewage.co.za.

POOR OLD TEKO! The full-list of PSL nominations: expect Mamelodi Sundowns to dominate (and why no Golden Boot should be awarded)

Award-winning performance: Pitso Mosimane and Teko Modise

Poor old Teko Modise. After all those years of missing out on his PSL Championship medal the man who inspired Mamelodi Sundowns’ miraculous title triumph this summer finds himself left off the short-list for the PSL Footballer of the Season.

With six goals and three Man of the Match awards as Masandawana closed in and overtook faltering Kaizer Chiefs, “The General” finds himself over-looked with his captain, Dutchman Alje Schut, Wits University’s Sibusiso Vilakazi and AmaKhosi destroyer Willard Katsande the chosen three.

But he won’t mind too much. Modise has already won the award twice – when he was lighting up the midfield at Orlando Pirates in 2008 and 2009. But without him, clearly the nominations are flawed. Schut has had a great season, but he doesn’t sparkle or score visionary goals like Modise did to see off SuperSport and claim the title last Tuesday. Morgan Gould was the last defender to win it - with champions SuperSport United in 2010 - so there IS a precedent for Schut.

And though “Assault and Vinegar” Katsande has made even more crunching tackles than he’s had yellow cards, Vilakazi – with a Nedbank Cup final to come – has to be the favourite now. With eight goals from midfield, Gavin Hunt has been singing his praises all season.

PREVIOUS PSL FOOTBALLER OF THE SEASON WINNERS:

2012-13         Itumeleng Khune                  Kaizer Chiefs            GK       South Africa

2011-12         Siyabonga Nomvethe            Moroka Swallows      FW      South Africa

2010-11         Thulani Serero                     Ajax Cape Town         MF       South Africa

2009-10         Morgan Gould                       Supersport United     DF       South Africa

2008-09         Teko Modise                         Orlando Pirates          MF       South Africa

2007-08         Teko Modise                         Orlando Pirates          MF       South Africa

Then there’s the Players’ Player of the Season. Teko gets the nod for this one, voted for by his peers, along with Vilakazi and Katsande. In the Premier League, Luis Suarez did the double with both top awards this season – I guess Teko will have to accept just one, though whether his fellow professionals agree, I can’t say. Both Vilakazi and Katsande have emerged as strong contenders, but I'd offer this to Modise... his lack of fortune in leaving SuperSport (before they won three PSLs on the trot) and Orlando Pirates (before they won the two trebles) says it HAS to be Teko!

PREVIOUS PSL PLAYERS’ PLAYER OF THE SEASON WINNERS:

2012-13         Itumeleng Khune      Kaizer Chiefs  GK       South Africa

2011-12         Siyabonga Nomvethe           Moroka Swallows      FW      South Africa

2010-11         Thulani Serero           Ajax Cape Town         MF       South Africa

2009-10         Katlego Mphela         Mamelodi Sundowns FW      South Africa

2008-09         Teko Modise   Orlando Pirates          MF       South Africa

2007-08         Itumeleng Khune      Kaizer Chiefs  GK       South Africa

2006-07         Godfrey Sapula          Mamelodi Sundowns MF       South Africa

2005-06         Surprise Moriri           Mamelodi Sundowns MF       South Africa

2004-05         Sandile Ndlovu          Dynamos        FW      South Africa

2003-04         Tinashe Nengomasha           Kaizer Chiefs  MF       Zimbabwe

2002-03         Moeneeb Josephs     Ajax Cape Town         GK       South Africa

2001-02         Jabu Pule       Kaizer Chiefs  MF       South Africa

2000-01         Benjani Mwaruwari   Jomo Cosmos            FW      Zimbabwe

1999-00         Siyabonga Nomvethe           Kaizer Chiefs  FW      South Africa

1998-99         Roger Feutmba    Mamelodi Sundowns MF       Cameroon

1997-98         Raphael Chukwu       Mamelodi Sundowns FW      Nigeria

1996-97         Wilfred Mugeyi          Bush Bucks    FW      Zimbabwe

The Coach of the Season award sees Pitso Mosimane, Clive Barker and Stuart Baxter nominated. Clearly, Pitso’s title triumph will be the dominating factor. Sure, he’s backed by the billions of Patrice Motsepe, but Dutch master Johan Neeskens and Bristling Bulgarian Hristo Stoichkov both failed to hit the top before him as Masandawana endured their seven-year drought.

Quite why Baxter, a double loser this season, gets the nod ahead of Allan Freese and Roger de Sa, I’m not sure.

Without a contract, Freese took unfashionable Platinum Stars to the MTN8 and TelkomKO finals - and won them both in his first season in charge.

De Sa took Pirates to the African Champions League final – not to mention the last hurdle of the MTN8 and TelkomKO – before decamping to Ajax. Old Dog Barker has achieved miracles at promoted Mpumalanga Black Aces after a record 35 signings this season, but the 69-year-old knows Pitso is more deserving this season.

Still, Pitso MUST win it, no matter who else is nominated.

Keagan Dolly has to be Young Player of the Season – called up (and mysteriously dropped) by Bafana Bafana, he has attracted rave reviews all season at Ajax Cape Town.

Respect is due to Hlompho Kekana, his rasper for Sundowns against Pirates in February will surely earn Goal of the Season, while last year’s all-conquering Itumeleng Khune is nominated for Goalkeeper of the Season, which could also go to Wits’ former Pirate Moeneeb Josephs. Slim Kat's penalty-saving heroics saw his side to the Nedbank Cup final, and surely Khune - injured and far from perfect this season - has won enough?

The Lesley Manyathela Golden Boot as PSL top-scorer looks destined for Bernard Parker, with a modest 10 goals. But given that he hasn’t scored – even from the spot – since February, perhaps it should be melted down and handed out again next season to a more deserving candidate.

The table below lists all top scorers, with the current 30-game format adopted in 2002. Barring miracles, Parker's tally will the the LOWEST EVER in the PSL.


PREVIOUS PSL TOP SCORERS

1996–97              Wilfred Mugeyi                22           Bush Bucks         

1997–98              Daniel Mudau                  24           Sundowns           

1998–99              Pollen Ndlanya                 21           Orlando Pirates 

1999–00              Dennis Lota                      18           Orlando Pirates  

2000–01              Gilbert Mushangazhike      19           Manning Rangers           

2001–02              Ishmael Maluleke              18           Manning Rangers           

2002–03              Lesley Manyathela            18           Orlando Pirates 

2003–04              Jackie Ledwaba                14           Zulu Royals        

2004–05              Collins Mbesuma               25           Kaizer Chiefs      

2005–06              Mame Niang                     14           Swallows             

2006–07              Chris Katongo                   15           Jomo Cosmos     

2007–08              James Chamanga               14           Swallows            

2008–09              Richard Henyekane           19           Golden Arrows   

2009–10              Katlego Mphela                17           Sundowns           

2010–11              Knowledge Musona          15           Kaizer Chiefs      

2011–12              Siyabonga Nomvethe        20           Moroka Swallows            

2012–13              Katlego Mashego             13          Moroka Swallows

2013-14              Bernard Parker                 10          Kaizer Chiefs             

The full list of 2014 nominations:

PSL Footballer of the Season

Alje Schut
Sibusiso Vilakazi
Willard Katsande

PSL Players' Player of the Season

Sibusiso Vilakazi
Teko Modise
Willard Katsande

PSL Young Player of the Season

Abbubaker Mobara
Gabadinho Mhango
Keagan Dolly

PSL Goalkeeper of the Season

Annsi Jaakkola
Itumeleng Khune
Moeneeb Josephs

PSL Goal of the Season

Hlompho Kekana
Knowledge Musona
Puleng Tlolane

PSL Coach of the Season

Clive Barker
Pitso Mosimane
Stuart Baxter

MTN8 Last Man Standing

Lennox Bacela
Robert Ng'ambi
Vuyo Mere

Telkom Knockout Player of the Tournament

Lennox Bacela
Mogakolodi Ngele
Robert Ng'ambi

Nedbank Cup Player of the Tournament

Jabulani Shongwe
Oupa Manyisa
Sibusiso Vilakazi

Nedbank Cup Most Promising Player of the Tournament

Kwanda Mngonyama
Thabo Moloi
Vincent Pule

SOWETO DERBY SPECIAL: Willard Katsande, the industrial diamond, puts Kaizer Chiefs a cut above the rest

Rare diamond: Willard Katsande about to score the
Soweto Derby winner yesterday, with Senzo Meyiwa
beaten and Sifiso Myeni a mere spectator

SOME diamonds don’t sparkle. Some diamonds are industrial. Some diamonds are forged in the depths of the earth for drilling and grinding.

While their expensive cousins sit on the end of gold pendants and draw admiring looks for doing very little, the industrial diamond - tougher than any other substance known to man - simply cuts through the crap and does the job.

I put it to you m’lady: Willard Katsande is an industrial diamond. But as 90000 witnessed at Soccer City on Saturday, he’s a gem none-the-less in Kaizer Chiefs’ glittering array of double-winning sparklers.

Look, it’s no good pretending Stuart Baxter’s tactical genius won the Soweto Derby on Saturday. Or blaming former Kaizer Chiefs head coach Vladimir Vermerzovic for dropping Happy Jele and Thabo Matlaba.

It’s no good pretending the latest clash between the Soweto rivals was a classic, though the last half-hour was pleasantly hectic as Kaizer Chiefs held out for a telling 1-0 triumph.

And, Lehlohonolo Majoro, you really can’t blame the AmaKhosi for booing you after that controversial flit between South Africa’s two biggest clubs.

Forget all that. This was Katsande’s day. The man I described on twitter on Friday as “the best player in South Africa this season”. Blimey, did I take some stick for that one. After the game, typically, he had little time for self-embellishment. Industrial diamonds don’t bother with all that pretty stuff.

“We stuck to the game plan,” he growled, “We worked hard, we worked as a team. I did my job. But it was nice to get a goal at last. It was long overdue but it was an important one.”

Before the start on Saturday I sent Mbax an SMS complimenting South Africa’s most successful current coach for picking “a positive line-up” which included all THREE of the big guns he dropped for 2-0 midweek defeat against Platinum Stars at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium.

Having seen his 17-game unbeaten run since November 5 ended by Allan Freese’s men, Baxter put Knowledge Musona (the nation’s top scorer with 13 goals in all competitions), Bernard Parker (the PSL top scorer with 10 League goals) and Kingston Nkatha in his starting line-up. Goals aplenty loomed.

The truth is, it didn’t quite work. Buccaneer Mpho Mokola worked like a whirlwind in a first half where, against all the odds, Pirates actually had the upper hand. With Oupa Manyisa and Kermit Erasmus also doing good work, Chiefs were wobbling at times in a dullish opening 45 minutes.

Though stand-in goalkeeper Reyaad Pieterse made two comfortable saves, only one Chief really stood up to be counted in the opening stanza. I like to call him “KARDSANDE” due to Willard’s reputation for gaining a yellow card in every appearance as he charges around the midfield keeping control, regaining possession, winning the ball, keeping it.

So it was only right that South Africa’s premier defensive midfielder should score the only goal in front of 92,000 people on Saturday.

It was no rip-roaring snorter. And it was his first in 67 games in the PSL. Simphiwe Tshabalala’s corner was probably too close to Senzo Meyiwa. But Nkatha blocked the keeper’s route to the ball and Katsande popped up on the far post to scramble the ball home.

After his first EVER goal celebration in South Africa, the 28-year-old Zimbabwean returned to his day job and spent the frantic last 30 minutes doing what he does best: snuffing out the Buccaneers as they desperately sought the equaliser.

There were times when he tackled with his shins, cleared with a rogue knee or blocked with the back of his head. But Katsande, born in Mutoko on January 15, 1986, never gave up. Spotted by Bobby Motaung while playing a friendly for Zimbabwe v Zambia in 2011, Katsande’s arrival at Naturena in from Ajax Cape Town two years ago didn’t make much of a ripple in the transfer waters.

But having tackled himself to a standstill in a shock 1-0 win over mighty Egyptians Al Ahly in 2010 for Gunners FC, Katsande already had an established reputation as a Makalele defensive midfielder to the north of our borders. Gunners FC lost that African Champions League tie in Cairo but went on to win the Zimbabwean title with Katsande at the heart of their midfield in 2010.

Not that Katsande’s rise was meteoric. He started out as a teenager with Frontier Steel (2002–2005) and Feruka (2006–2007) before moving to Highway (2007-2009), a bunch of lads from Mutare renowned for their giant-killing exploits. That’s when the Gunners stepped in. The rest, as they say…

History of course, can take strange twists. Baxter sent me a two-word SMS after the Derby. It said simply “IMMENSE KATSANDE”, but he also admits: "I’ve told you this before, when I first saw Willard at training, I told (assistant coach) Doctor Khumalo ‘He can't play for Chiefs, he’s too reckless!’ But he’s worked so hard since then, he deserves all this.”

After Saturday’s Soweto Derby, Baxter chatted a bit about a poor first half and the changes he made at half-time. But then came the quote that mattered: “Yes, we packed the midfield. WITH ONE MAN. The guy over there with the Man of the Match award. Willard Katsande was incredible today.”

And that, in a nutshell, was the story of the Soweto Derby. With Bidvest Wits upset 3-1 by Free State Stars on Saturday night, who’s to say Katsande’s rare goal isn’t the most important strike of the season?

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