Orlando Pirates star Tshegofatso Mabasa chasing SA PSL Golden Boot record
OBAKENG MELETSE
Tshegofatso Mabasa’s return from his loan spell with Moroka Swallows has proven to be beneficial to Orlando Pirates, and he is reaping the fruits of his time away from home.
Only six goals stand between him and equalling a long-standing Golden Boot record by a South African, 21, set by Pollen Ndlanya for Kaizer Chiefs in the 1998/99 season.
A first-half Mabasa brace in a dominant display by the home side took his tally for the season to 15 goals as Pirates beat Chippa United 2-0 on Wednesday, their second win in a row over the Eastern Cape side after eliminating them from the Nedbank Cup last Saturday.
Mabasa eased one goal clear of Iqraam Rayners and within one of equalling Bradley Grobler’s 16-goal campaign in the 2020/21 season.
Ndlanya tops the list of South Africans who have won the Lesley Manyathela Golden Boot award, which has been in existence since the formation of the Premier Soccer League in 1996.
He scored 21 goals for the Amakhosi in the 1998/99 league season, while Siyabonga Nomvethe grabbed 20 in the 2011/12 season for Moroka Swallows.
There are a few foreign marksmen who have scored more than Ndlanya and Nomvethe – Zambian Collins Mbesuma (25 for Chiefs in 2004/05), Namibian Peter Shalulile (23 for Mamelodi Sundowns in 2021/22) and Zimbabwean Wilfred Mugeyi (22 for Bush Bucks in 1996/97).
With three matches remaining, Stellenbosch FC and Pirates are not only vying for second position, but both their strikers are within touching distance of possibly breaking the 20-goal barrier for the first time in 12 years.