Former Pirates star happy to lead Leopards

Matlaba revealed that the captain’s armband was handed to him on match-day with no further communication as to whether he will skipper the side for the rest of the season.

“I am not a permanent captain, they gave me the belt for this game and they said I must lead the team,” he said, before making it clear that he would love to hold on to the armband and the team on the pitch.

“I would really appreciate that responsibility because I am not a person who runs away from responsibility, I love to take responsibility. This team needs people like me who will take the team forward. Our aim is to finish in the top four, we don’t want to see ourselves down there this season,” said the 31-year-old.

He added: “I am motivated, we have a bunch of good footballers and they play good football. It is just unfortunate that we did not win. I am not happy with myself and I will be happy the day we win. I feel like I did not play my best even though I got the Man-of-the-Match (award), I feel like I can do better and I am looking forward to the next game so I can do my best.”

“It is a disappointment. The Thohoyandou people were expecting a win from us especially after the big signings of Thuso Phala, Mogakolodi Ngele and myself. They came in numbers to support us but at the end of the day we did not even win the game. But I am saying to them that they must not give up, there are still more games to go and the race is still on,” concluded Matlaba.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.