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06 February 2020
The captain of the 2019 Nedbank Ke Yona Team, Thabiso Lebitso, took his bow in the Nedbank Cup Last 32 on Wednesday when he earned a first ever start for Premier Soccer League side Chippa United in their 3-0 victory over TS Galaxy at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. The winger was one of the star performers for the Ke Yona Team last year, earning a number of admirers before being snapped up by Chippa after he shone on trial and caught the eye of club bosses. It was, of course, his second meeting with Nedbank champions Galaxy after he also played against the Mpumalanga-based club in the 2019 Nedbank Challenge match, where the second-tier side claimed a 2-1 success. He was handed his Chilli Boyz debut off the bench against Polokwane City in early January, but has now earned his first start, where he came up against 2018 Ke Yona Team star Jeremiah Mathonsi on the Galaxy side. Lebitso proved lively with his forward play and impressed, before being withdrawn just before the hour-mark as coach Norman Mapeza changed his tactical plan. Lebitso had shown plenty of the quality touches that made him such a star with the Ke Yona side, and his work-rate was also a prominent feature that drew attention. He will hope to build on the solid display in the months to come. Mapeza was certainly impressed and suggested that he and others may be given more of a run in the second half of the season. "They are guys who can come through in the second half of the season. They did well, there is room for improvement but we will keep helping them so that they understand what we want as a club." Lebitso previously played for the Tshwane University of Technology but will now seek to build a career in the Premier Soccer League.
*The views represented are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent those of Nedbank.