Tumelo Ndaba’s Supersport United retains GDL Top Eight title
SuperSport United and trophies go hand-in-hand.
Who can ever forget the magical seasons, from 2007/08 to 2009/10, where the Tshwane-based club asserted its dominance in South African football, winning three Premier Soccer League (PSL) titles in a row while producing some of the country’s best-ever talents, including the Gqeberha-born Daine Klate and Teko Modise?
They have also enjoyed plenty of success at amateur and academy level, with coach Tumelo Ndaba‘s SuperSport United u19s leading from the front by capturing back-to-back Gauteng Development League (GDL) Top Eight trophies.
When SuperSport United ruled the PSL under Gavin Hunt, he had his close friend Thomas Madigage as his assistant coach and trusted right-hand man.
There are similarities in the current u19 set-up, with Ndaba and his assistant Jabu Maluleka, who enjoy a similarly cohesive relationship. They speak the same language and it shows in how synchronised their team is on the field.
Heading into the semi-finals and of the Top Eight competition, Maluleka was left to hold down the fort while Ndaba attended a coaching course. He put his trust in Maluleka to oversee the defence of the title that SuperSport United’s u19s won last season.
With Maluleka in charge, Supersport United beat School of Excellence 2-1 in the final to once again lift the trophy, courtesy of goals from Tshiamo Selemela and Tshegofato Modise.
“Firstly, I want to thank coach Jabu,” Ndaba told SuperSport Schools Plus. “This week I was not around. I was busy with my coaching course. He’s the one that was coaching this week.”
Ndaba said he was particularly impressed with how his team has been able to win games by coming from behind, which they had to do in the final after conceding the first goal of the game to School of Excellence.
Earlier in the season, in their first league outing of the year, Ndaba’s team showed character to fight back from 0-2 down against Kaizer Chiefs to pull off a 2-2 draw.
Ndaba said the character of his side has impressed him despite the players not having had much pre-season game time to help them build the character of the team.
“We did have a pre-season but we did not have enough match fitness or friendly games that we played during our pre-season,” said Ndaba.
“In three or four games now, from the start of the league to this Top Eight final, we have come from behind. Credit must go to the conditioning coach. I think he did a good job with the boys.
“You can see the character and the resilience, coming back from 0-1 and 1-2 down against good teams.
“I think he played a big role during the pre-season by building that character. That’s what we’re lacking most of the time. With the other teams, you go down 0-1 and they give up. But this year it’s a different ball game.”
