Gomtown Boyz FC captain Lebogang Dolo did not use his club’s awards ceremony in Alexandra on August 29 to dwell on what the team had lost.

Instead, speaking after the presentations, he turned his attention to what comes next, calling on his squad to match this season’s near-miss with greater seriousness in the one ahead. “It is up to us if we want this. Let us be serious. In this season, let us be dedicated,” he said.

It was a fitting note to end on. Dolo, who picked up both the Midfielder and Player of the Season awards on the night, was candid that the 2025/26 season had not gone the way the club had hoped. Gomtown Boyz had set its sights on the title; instead, they finished runners-up in the Hollywoodbets Regional League, and fell agonisingly short of a place in the ABC Motsepe League after losing in the promotion playoff final.

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It is that near-miss that shaped the tone of the evening. Every runner-up finish carries a story of sacrifice, and Gomtown Boyz used the ceremony to tell it, honouring the commitment, hard work and dedication that carried the team through a difficult year.

Technical director Thabo Malebjoe put the season’s frustration plainly. “We were supposed to win the league because we did everything to our strength; however, at the end of the day, one had to be the winner,” he said, recalling how the team advanced to the playoffs for second position before falling short in the final.

Club chairperson Thulani Ndlovu framed that disappointment within a broader philosophy. Being a ‘top dog’, he said in his opening remarks, is about the courage to keep going when things are difficult, paired with discipline, commitment, loyalty and belief in oneself and one’s teammates. “We have seen our players continue to give their best as our coaches continued to guide them. Our administrators worked behind the scenes, and our supporters continued to stand with us. Today, we celebrate all of them,” he said.

For Ndlovu, the awards themselves are a deliberate statement. “They say, ‘We saw your effort, sacrifice, commitment, and we thank you,” he said, urging nominees and recipients to see their award not as an endpoint but as encouragement to keep striving. He added that the club’s ambitions stretch well beyond match results, developing talent, creating opportunities, and building a squad capable of competing in the third division and beyond.

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That ambition was reflected in a night of individual recognition. Babylon Sonjica was named Most Improved Player, while Celomuso Kunene received the Club Person of the Year award. Simphiwe Ndlovu took the Young Player of the Season honour, and the Golden Glove went to Xolani Manka. Luyolo Mzalamba claimed the Golden Boot as the club’s leading goal scorer, and the Chairman’s Award was shared jointly by Muzikayifani Maduna and Malebjoe.

With the disappointment of a title chase that fell just short still fresh, the captain’s call was about what the squad chooses to do with the season ahead.

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