Going out on loan is not only about trying to get game time, but also
about fitting into the system, according to Kaizer Chiefs youngster Sifiso
Timba, who has gone into detail to explain this after making his move to
Gomora United.
Timba is one of the players Amakhosi sent out on loan during the January
transfer window. He made the move to Gomora in the Motsepa Foundation
Championship and is getting his first taste of professional football. It was
important for him to find the right team where he would be able to fit into
the system.
“Sometimes it goes with the philosophy from where you come from, to see if
you fit into the style of play at the club where you are going. For example,
Chiefs is a ball playing team and Gomora is a ball playing team. They look
at such things, to see if you can adjust when you make the move,” Timba told
PSLSA.
“So far so good. I am having a good time because I am out of my comfort zone
from Chiefs to Gomora. The way they do things here is different, so you get
to learn about life and it builds you to be tough because where I come from
I was comfortable. So far so good, it’s a good place.”
Timba has been getting game time at Gomora and believes he has a good chance
of returning to Chiefs and competing for a first-team spot.
“It’s about tasting professional football because I am from a development
phase. I wanted to test myself to see how I can do at a professional level.
I think I can go back and compete for my place.”
Timba was part of the national under-20 squad that won the Africa Cup of
Nations last year, and they later went on to compete at the FIFA World Cup,
advancing beyond the group stages. This experience, he admits, has been
crucial for him, and it was evident when he made his professional debut
against Mamelodi Sundowns in the Nedbank Cup last 16, as Gomora bowed out of
the competition at the first hurdle.
Despite the early exit, he was one of the team’s best performers on the
night at Loftus Stadium.
“It helped me to handle pressure because the pressure at AFCON was a lot. So
it made things easy for the game against Sundowns because I have been under
pressure. It has helped me to be able to handle pressure.”
