Ngobeni joined Ea Lla Koto on loan from Mamelodi Sundowns in the January transfer window and went on to play a major role in the side’s success in the Nedbank Cup over the weekend.
The former Kaizer Chiefs shot-stopper, who is a nominee for the Nedbank Cup Player of the Tournament award, recently had his deal with Sundowns extended, but with Denis Onyango still in goal for the newly crowned Absa Premiership champions, his chances of being a regular are slim.
So he’d love to be at a club where he knows he can get a fair chance to prove himself and there’s no better place like Stars, where he’s shown that he is one of the best goalkeepers in the country.
“To be honest, I have always said – and I will stick to my word – that I want to play and enjoy myself. I think it’s my time to play, I don’t care where I am playing,” Ngobeni said after the final.
“Free State Stars have an opportunity to play in Africa. It’s a good experience and I would love to be part of that experience. We all worked very hard, but let’s see what happens. I want to play and I want to be part of the experience of playing in Africa, not just sitting [on the bench] and travelling.”
Ngobeni was in goal during the Nedbank Cup final at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday, keeping a clean sheet as Ea Lla Koto walked away 1-0 winners. He was delighted to be part of the side’s success.
“Obviously I am very happy and grateful for the opportunity the Free State Stars team has given me. The guys have been doing well and I am happy that we have a bunch of great individuals who are willing to fight for each other. We really wanted to win this one, especially for the chairman [Mike Mokoena] of the club. He has been pumping the money into the team without any sponsors, so I am happy. I have been through this, but this one is different because I was playing.”