Mokwena – There Shouldn’t Be Much Talk Over Footballer Of The Season

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena insists Ronwen Williams and Teboho Mokoena are the favourites for the Premier Soccer League Footballer of the Season award.

In a dominating season where Sundowns could reach a record 72 points tally in the league and the league already secured on match week 23, Mokoena and Williams have been amongst their most consistent players.

But the emergence of Monnapule Saleng and Peter Shalulile, who are among the Lesley Manyathela Golden Boot award contenders have also been spoken of in recent weeks.

Williams pulled off four excellent saves in their 1-0 win over Richards Bay At Loftus Versveld on Tuesday afternoon and once again provided the base to most of their attacks starting from their defensive line.

“Yeah but it’s his job, that’s why we have a goalkeeper, organisational forms of teams start with the number one of the team sheet and that’s a goalkeeper,” Mokwena said about Williams’ impressive display this afternoon.

“He’s been magnificent, I’m really not even sure why there are lots of discussions of Footballer of the Season and this – he puts his name up, Tebza has [also] been consistent and outstanding but so was the entire team today with fight and hunger.”

On the grueling scheduling that saw Sundowns return home from Algeria yesterday morning and play their league outing 24 hours later, Mokwena said it’s understated how challenging it can be.

“Not a lot of people know how tough this is, it’s tough, very, very tough – the schedule, the traveling, 20 hours, we arrived yesterday,” Mokwena added.

“I didn’t want to say this before kickoff because then they’ll say he’s preparing excuses but congratulations to the football club, congratulations to the players, so proud of them.”

Sundowns will now turn their attention of their second leg CAF Champions League quarter-final against CR Belouizdad on Saturday, where they hold a 4-1 lead from the first leg.