Former Oval North ace still has the magic touch

Mzoxolo Budaza|Published 3 years ago

Glendene’s Therlo Moosa, left, and teammate celebrate his goal in the 3-2 win against Mangaung at Kabokweni, in Mpumalanga

Glendene’s Therlo Moosa, right, in action against KZN’s Umvoti FC in their opening match of the first division qualifers in Mpumalanga, a fortnight ago.

Despite his side losing out on a spot in the National First Division (NFD), former Oval North High School soccer ace, Therlo Moosa, 27, from Lentegeur, still has the magic touch in front of goal.

Moosa was one of the players who found the back of the net as Glendene United battled it out, against eight other provincial champions, for a place in the NFD, in Mpumalanga a fortnight ago.

Having played club football for Morgenster United, Moosa was also a key member of Oval North's senior side competing in the Mitchell’s Plain High Schools soccer league between 2010 and 2013. He was, in fact, top goalscorer for three years running, between 2011 and 2013.

His consistency in front of goal didn’t go unnoticed, of course. People started showing interest and, in July 2013, the sharp- shooter was, at the age of 19, snatched by one of Pretoria giants Mamelodi Sundowns.

Before that move to the Gauteng-based outfit, he also proved to be one of the star players in that year’s SAB under-21 inter-provincial tournament. He won the golden boot award and helped Western Cape win the title after beating Mpumalanga 3-2 in the final.

Looking back to the road he’s travelled between then and now, Moosa said he learnt valuable lessons along the way, which helped him grow as a player.

“I’ve been moving from club to club since leaving school in 2013. After signing with Sundowns in 2013, I went to Vasco da Gama on loan, where I played first team football. I also played for Magic FC here in Cape Town before moving over to Glendene two seasons ago. So, I’ve been here for two years now,”.

“The set up here at Glendene is amazing. Everything is done professionally and the players are encouraged to be grounded all the time. I can say I am lucky in that I am playing alongside experienced players, some of whom have been in the first division and the premier league before,” he said.

Moosa also noted that, despite the minor setbacks due to Covid-19 and the subsequent lockdowns, he looked forward to an even better 2021/2022 season with his side.

“The team did well last season, where we were almost unbeatable. In fact, we lost only one match all season and that says a lot about the quality we have in the squad. So, our goals for next season are simple: we want to win the league and gain promotion to the first division,” he said.