He showed some sparks of brilliance while at Bloemfontein Celtic, Golden Arrows and Bidvest Wits but now with Orlando Pirates, Malawian
goal poacher Hellings Frank “Gabadinho” Mhango has blossomed to become one of the most feared strikers in the PSL.
Of late, Mhango has been the chief tormentor of any rearguard the Buccaneers have faced, while cherishing every moment in which he finds the back of the net and add to his rising tally.
Many a local football follower, more so the Bucs die-hards, are already predicting that Mhango could go on to score more than 20 goals and bag the Golden Boot award,crowning a glorious maiden season with the Sea Robbers.
Before this weekend’s matches, the lethal Mhango, who rarely puts his foot wrong when facing the opposition keeper, was on top of the Premiership scorers’ leader board with 11 strikes, with AmaZulu forward Bongi Ntuli second with 10 goals.
The hat-trick he scored during their 4-1 victory against Polokwane City last week did the trick, catapulting him to first position, thus becoming the first Pirates player to bag a hat-trick since Tendai Ndoro in 2016.
Mhango, 27, always gives credit to his teammates whenever he is asked about his
goal-scoring prowess. He tact-fully moves the spotlight away from him, just as he did when he won the man-of-the-match award after netting the solitary goal during Bucs’ victory over Mamelodi Sundowns midweek.
“Credit must go to my team, without my team I could not have performed the way I did. So congratulations to my team,” retorted Mhango.
“Today [Wednesday night] was a tough game for us, it was a crucial game but the way we planned, we managed to get the three points. So congratulations to the team. Congratulations to the supporters for coming in numbers and giving us the support.
“Of course, I am always happy with my performance. These are the results and performance we need. What is important now is to go home with three points in every game we play.”
He continued: “On a personal level, I am very pleased to be getting the goals. As an aacking player goals are what we live for. But there’s no time to relax, we need to stay grounded and not get ahead of ourselves.”
After joining The Students from Phunya Sele Sele in 2016, Mhango moved to Bucs in July last year, in time for the kickoff¨ of the current season.
Under Pirates interim coach Rhulani Mokwena, Mhango looked pedestrian, even though many knew what he was capable of.
However, his true potential has come to the fore since German tactician Josef Zinnbauer took over from Mokwena last month.
Before facing Highlands Park at home last night, Bucs had collected 10 points in the league under Zinnbauer, defeating Leopards, Polokwane City, sharing the spoils with Bloemfontein Celtic and beating Downs 1-0.
By Xolile Mtshazo
Mhango sparkles under new coach
