In this edition of My Welcome To The League Moment, former Wits University FC star Sydney Hadebe tells KickOff what he once said to an Orlando Pirates defender.
Hadebe, who also had some stints at the likes of AmaZulu FC, tells a story of his Premier Soccer League debut against the Mighty Bucs.
"My welcome to the league moment came in my first ever game for Wits University FC, it was against Orlando Pirates," Hadebe tells KickOff.
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"My first game was against Pirates, and I was at Wits University; it's the stage fright that almost killed me that day.
"The match took place at the Rand Stadium, Pirates still had the likes of Patrick Kazadi.
"It was my first appearance but strange enough, apparently I performed very well because we won that match.
"The next day, I was all over the front pages; how come, I also had no idea because I thought I messed up?
"Apparently I had played well; even though I played the whole match shaking in my knees. My nerves were killing me.
"And imagine I only got to learn in the dressing room when the team was announced that I was starting the match. That was my first PSL game ever.
"After hearing my name being read, nerves almost killed me [laughs], It dawned on me that I was now playing with the big boys, the whole Orlando Pirates. From there, my knees started shaking; it was nerves.
"I was nervous because of the crowd; I was nervous because I was going to face the giant that is Orlando Pirates in my first-ever top-tier game.
"In the lower divisions, I used to play in front of 150 people, but now I will have to leave this dressing room and go and play in front of thousands of people. That was me asking myself. That moment there in the dressing room was my welcome to the league moment.
"My teammates were busy encouraging me, there was only one teammate of mine who was busy teasing me about the situation.
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"His name is Steve Tlou; he was busy saying, Yaah, now it's time we find out if what we witness at training daily you will be able to do today here against tbis monster that is Orlando Pirates [laughs].
"He kept on asking me, Are you aware of who you are playing against here? [Laughs].
"Patrick Kazadi was the one I was up against on the pitch, that guy would grab my shirt and follow me everywhere. I couldn't breathe.
"I ended up losing my cool and said to him, Hey man please play football and stop following me around [laughs]. His response was, Me, my friend, I am here to work."