BOIPATONG.- Despite being a small township, Boipatong has produced several professional soccer players.
One of the players to have come from this tinny township is the former Orlando Pirates and Platinum Stars midfielder, Solomon Mathe (44). Sedibeng Ster Sport spoke to Mathe in his hometown of Boipatong to reflect on his football career.
Mathe follows in the footsteps of other former soccer players who have since turned to coaching after retiring from top-flight football. Some of the teams that Mathe was involved with as assistant coach are Uthogathi FC and ABC Motsepe League club, Dabeka Sporting, both teams are from Durban.
Given his football background, Mathe started his amateur football career playing for the now-defunct Boipatong Real Rangers FC. He was one of the players who secured a contract from the PSL teams after Rangers made history by reaching the last 16 of the BobSave Super Bowl Cup.
Rangers suffered a 5-1 defeat at the hands of Mariztburg City at Zamdela Stadium.
Some of the players that he played alongside were Lungisani Ndhlela, Senzo Mazingisa (Mbatha), and Papi Zothwane to mention but a few. These players went on to make a name for themselves in South African football. Mathe’s biggest break was when he joined Orlando Pirates playing for their feeder team Yebo Yes FC that was campaigning in the Gauteng Vodacom League.
He was promoted to the senior team, but his successful career was with Platinum Stars. This is the team that he enjoyed his football career with and even became the club’s captain. Mathe also played for Bloemfontein Celtics among other PSL teams.
In an interview with Sedibeng Ster Sport, Mathe said that at the moment he is still looking for a coaching job.
“I must say, I had a great football career, and playing for a big team like Orlando Pirates will remain one of the highlights of my football career. I think I also had a successful football career with Platinum Stars because I managed to win some trophies with the club,” concluded Mathe.
