Meet Alexandra’s nimble-footed football skater
ALEXANDRA - If you have a nimble foot that allows you to weave and skate your way around a maze of defenders and ultimately unleash that killer goal, then you must be the football 'ice skater', Katlego Mbatha.
This midfield maestro of Alexandra United Football Club is one of the kingpins of the talented side, which seems set to move a rung up to the National First Division (NFD) next season.
This if they can maintain their top spot in the ABC Motsepe League for the few remaining games, and also get through the promotional play-offs.
Skates, as he is popularly known, was born in Alexandra’s 12th Avenue in the section named Ladies Place. When he walks onto the field, spectators’ shouts of ‘Skates, Skates’ reverberate, as they love what he does with the ball at his feet. He is a dribbling wizard with a cunning knack of scoring goals, and he proved this during the ill-fated seasons of 2013 and 2014 when everybody thought the team would be promoted to the NFD.
Asked why he is not always selected in the starting line-up for United, the soft-spoken Skates said, “I don’t know why. Maybe you can ask the coach as she is in a better position to know that than I do.”
Coach Tracy Lee-Pepper responded by saying that Skates was a skilful player who could unlock any defence on any given day.
“But his problem is that you never know what to expect from him as he does not give 100 percent in training. Some players go the extra mile, which he does not do, hence I do not know what I can expect once I put him in the game,” she said.
As a coach, Pepper said she should be able to predict what to expect once her player is on the field of play.
“I can only make that judgment call from what I see in our training sessions. This is when I can judge who’s sharper on the day for the upcoming match,” she concluded.
As an avid fan of Alex United, what do you make of Katlego ‘Skates’ Mbatha’s football abilities? Tweet us your comments @AlexNewsZA
