Etafia hoping for a third time lucky

Etafia's two previous Top 8 Final appearances – both of which were played in Durban – have seen him go home with the wooden spoon but with the latest Final being played at Orlando Stadium the 30 year-old will be hoping the change of cities also bring a change of fortunes.

The first time that Etafia played in the Top 8 was in only his second season at Swallows back in 2003 when the competition was still backed by South African Airways (SAA Supa8).

In that Final played at Kings Park Etafia kept goals as the Birds lost 3-2 to Jomo Cosmos with a Lovers Mohlala penalty in extra-time separating the two teams after a dramatic 90 minutes in which both teams scored a goal in the last minute of regulation time.

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Etafia stands as the only player still at the club from the team that played in that final on September 21, 2003 when Gavin Hunt was still the Swallows coach with all the other players that featured that day now retired except Peter Petersen.

Ironically, current Swallows captain Lefa Tsutsulupa was in Cosmos colours that day coming on as a substitute in extra-time while Dikgang Mabalane – who is due to join Swallows – also played for Ezenkosi on that spring afternoon.

With the first attempt bringing no joy Etafia was back in the final seven years later – again the final played in Durban though this time at Moses Mabhida – and again he was a runner-up.

In that 2010 Final, played on October 2 against Orlando Pirates, which was now under the MTN banner, Etafia came on as a half-time substitute replacing Aubrey Mathibe but after extra-time it was the Bucs who won via the lottery of the penalty shoot-out.

Etafia along with his coach back then Rainer Zobel went home dejected.

Two years later Etafia is back in the Top 8 Final with Swallows and under yet another coach in Zeca Marques hoping that third time luck goes his way as he seeks to lead the Birds to a trophy that they haven't won since 1979 well before the Nigerian keeper was even born.

Since they last won the Top 8 in 1979 Swallows have also finished as losing finalists in 1984 going down 4-3 aggregate losers to Wits University just like they also 7-2 on aggregate to Kaizer Chiefs in the 1982 final.

Though Etafia hasn't kept goals in the last two League games he is likely to be handed his place back between the posts as he nears 300 appearances for Swallows.