Polokwane City coach Phuti Mohafe has made an honest admission regarding the performance of his former player, Oswin Appollis, in their 2-0 defeat to Orlando Pirates in the MTN8 quarterfinal at Orlando Stadium on Saturday.
The explosive winger had a memorable debut in the black and white jersey of the Buccaneers, as he opened the scoring against his former employers. Fan favorite and playmaker Patrick Maswanganyi scored the other goal from the spot to seal the victory.
Before completing his move to the Soweto giants, Appollis was an integral part of the Rise and Shine squad, chipping in with nine goals and six assists in 59 appearances across all competitions since signing for the Limpopo-based outfit from Pretoria Callies.
In the wake of the 23-year-old’s impressive showing, Mohafe says he is under no illusions about Appollis’ qualities. Moreover, the former Royal Eagles mentor claims he taught the Bafana international the skill that he executed for the goal that haunted City.
“That shows that I taught him well, and he took that to Pirates, and the coach that is coaching him now has sharpened him. So, that movement [for the first goal] is a drilling move that we have been doing [when he was still at Polokwane City],” he said.
The Limpopo-born tactician is adamant that Appollis has taken his game to new heights since moving to Pirates, stating that he saw a different player than the one that was at his disposal during their time together at the Johnny Mogaladi-owned team.
“We knew that we must not give him the space on the inside. Unfortunately, the guy who was supposed to close that gap went to slumber land a little bit, so he caught us,” added Mohafe, who took over the reins in November 2023.
“But I think the Appollis that I saw today (on Saturday) is different in terms of the movement ability, in terms of the playing ability. But I think the guy is improving, and I hope he can do so going forward in the season.”
With the first piece of silverware in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) having eluded them, City will kickstart their Betway Premiership campaign with a Limpopo derby clash against Magesi FC at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday, 09 August.