Aubrey Ngoma has shone in the Mother City after his failed move to Orlando Pirates, writes NICK SAID in SoccerClub magazine.

When the Bafana Bafana squad for the friendly internationals against Guinea-Bissau and Angola were announced in March, Cape Town City coach Eric Tinkler was quick to congratulate club captain Lebo Manyama and goalkeeper Shu-Aib Walters on their call-ups.

But he admitted his surprise that left wing Aubrey Ngoma was missing.

‘I think Aubrey deserves his opportunity; he has been fantastic for us this season and has been consistent,’ said Tinkler. ‘He’s unlucky not to be in the squad.’

City have drawn plenty of plaudits for their attacking verve, and while most of those have gone to Manyama, he would be the first to admit that Ngoma has played a massive role in his success.

The pint-sized wing is trying to resurrect his career in Cape Town, and his goals and assists this season have thrown him back in the limelight.

The 27-year-old is in the form of his life, with the disappointment of a failed move to Pirates now a distant memory.

He says he relished the challenge of moving to Cape Town when his former employers, Mpumalanga Black Aces, sold their top-flight status to John Comitis. Ngoma was one of 14 players to make the journey to the Mother City.

‘I took it as a challenge; I had never played outside of Gauteng,’ he tells SoccerClub. ‘You see players moving continents, so you think a move to a city would not be a major thing.

‘Football moves you around the world and it was an opportunity to have a look at how things are in the Mother City.’

Ngoma already had fond memories of Cape Town Stadium before the 2016-17 PSL season began. Arguably, his finest hour on a football pitch came at the venue, in September 2012.

Playing for the University of Pretoria in a league match against Ajax Cape Town, he scored four times in a 5-1 victory.

‘The Cape Town Stadium is one of the best stadiums I have played in, especially with the memories I have here,’ he says.

Ngoma says one of the secrets to his success is the extra responsibility he feels as a senior player among many young stars. Some would wilt under that pressure, but the Hammanskraal-born star has risen to the occasion.

‘I’ve been given a much bigger role in the team this season,’ he says. ‘When the team isn’t doing well, I get asked “What is going wrong?”; unlike in previous seasons, when others were asked that question.

‘So, I’ve grown to become a senior player myself, taking responsibility to make sure I perform better and give the team more positive energy – much more than in previous years.’

City signed an extension to Ngoma’s contract in January that will see him remain at the club until June 2021.

PERFECT PAIR

Aubrey Ngoma and Lebogang Manyama have been a deadly duo for Cape Town City this season with their pattern of play, which may be predictable, but difficult to stop.

Ngoma uses his pace and trickery on the ball to get to the byline on the left wing, with Manyama taking up intelligent positions in the box and waiting for the perfectly weighted pass, which arrives more often than not.

By mid-March, Ngoma had 13 assists in all competitions, with five of those for Manyama. That went with the four goals he scored himself, meaning he had been involved in an impressive 17 City goals in their campaign at that point.

– This article first appeared in issue 80 of SoccerClub magazine