CUT have impressed on their return to Varsity Football with their goalkeeper Thabo Samuel determined to play his part in their success.
When a team wins, it’s common to see the names of forwards going up in lights. A loss, however, often leads to the defence taking the bulk of the blame. The goalkeeper, as the last line of defence, could go as far as being heckled by crowds. Even with top awards, such as the Ballon D’or, goalkeepers rarely get the nod, with former Soviet player Lev Yashin the only goalkeeper to take the coveted prize. Instead, goalkeepers often have to settle for a place in the team of the year.
The man entrusted with shutting the back door for CUT’s return to Varsity Football, Thabo Samuel, feels that goalkeepers do not get the deserved credit: “One minute people love you and the next minute they criticise you.”
Samuel, who hails Mamelodi Sundowns’ Denis Onyango and Everton’s Jordan Pickford as prime influences, believes that “people always point out the mistakes goalkeepers make.”
Even with the tough aspects that form part of the goalkeeper package, the 19-year-old Bloemfontein local keeps his head up and learns from his mistakes.
“I started off the tournament on the wrong foot; it wasn’t a nice debut for me, [but] I am always willing to take the blame as a goalkeeper,” Samuel tells varsitysportssa.com.
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After conceding a solitary goal in the opening round against the University of Johannesburg, Samuel eventually racked up three consecutive Debonairs Real Deal Save of the Match accolades. His performances have ensured that CUT are still in with a chance of making it into the knockout phase of the 2019 Varsity Football season, with a single point separating them from fourth-placed UWC. Samuel values the importance of a defence that functions as a unit.
“What makes a quality defence is a goalkeeper who’s confident enough to organise his defence, take charge of his area, and defenders who are very cooperative,” he concludes.
Samuel will be looking to do his bit when CUT travel to second-placed NWU with a place in the semi-finals well within their reach.
The NWU-CUT game kicks off at 18:15 in Mafikeng on Thursday. It will be boradcast live on SuperSport 4, while tickets can be bought on the Varsity Sports App or by clicking here: https://varsitysportsa.plankton.mobi/
By Sam Styrax
