In our exciting feature My Welcome To The League Moment, former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Humphrey Mlwane reveals how he was a ball of nerves prior to his first Soweto Derby appearance.
Mlwane, who joined the Glamour Boys from Moroka Swallows, shares a story of how a fully packed FNB Stadium brought him to tears in his first game for the Glamour Boys.
"My 'Welcome to the League' moment happened in the Iwisa Charity Spectacular," Mlwane tells KickOff.
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"Looking at the Chiefs supporters, who had come in numbers at the FNB Stadium, brought tears to my eyes.
"I was emotional because when I grew up, I used to watch the Spectacular a lot, and it never crossed my mind that one day people would be watching me playing in the same pre-season tournament.
"Stepping into that FNB Stadium lawn made me realise I had arrived [laughing], I was the man.
"I used to stay in Ekangala growing up, and we would travel to FNB Stadium early in the morning to watch the very same one-day tournament. We would leave home around 06:00. Remember, the first game took place at 09:00.
"I remember sitting in the stands as a youngster and I was almost hit by a bottle. (Orlando) Pirates and Chiefs fans were throwing stuff at each other.
"That was in 1991.
"So, when I played in the very same tournament for Chiefs in 1994, that moment came back. I said to myself, 'I almost lost my eye in this very same stadium.'
Remember those days when Chiefs and Pirates fans used to sit separate? It was at that moment when tears filled my eyes. I was thinking about the 90,000 people who came to watch that game, and also about the people back home in Ekangala who were now going to watch me play in that game on TV.
"Though I was from Swallows, I didn't expect to see myself playing at such a big stage, that pre-season tournament was big in South Africa. I couldn't believe this was me.
"The likes of Shakes Kungoane and Thabang Lebese noticed the tears in my eyes, and you know they enjoyed teasing people. So, they said to me, 'Don't be scared man, just do the simple thing. Every time you receive the ball, you must look for us' [laughs].
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"And we were playing against Pirates and I was scared to make a mistake. Wellington Manyathi kept on telling me to relax, it seemed everyone could see I was nervous.
"Getting my first touch right is what settled my nerves, and in the end, we managed to beat Pirates."