In our new feature KickOff catches up with former Moroka Swallows attacker Lucas "Makhokhoba" Sebona on his Welcome to the League Moment against a star-studded Kaizer Chiefs side.
The retired Middelburg-born star, who signed for the Dube Birds as an amateur, reveals the match that gave him his biggest test in professional football.
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"Kaizer Chiefs gave me my biggest test in professional football, I was playing for Moroka Swallows, it was in 1996," Sebona tells KickOff.
"It was tough for me, to play in front of the television cameras for the first time, it was not easy.
"Playing against the likes of Doctor Khumalo, people you grew up admiring, was not easy.
"We lost 2-0 that day at Ellis Park Stadium, Chiefs were still Chiefs those days.
"They were strong in every department. Jacob Tshisevhe gave me a tough time. Ntsie Maphike was their left-back.
"Joseph Rapelego and Andries 'Chakachaka' Mpondo were my teammates. Imagine I'm introduced in the second half, and we are already two-nil down.
"I tried my best, but it was not enough that day. Amakhosi were on fire that day, and the stadium was packed.
"Those days, I was still a number nine which means I was up against Jacob Tshisevhe.
"Because the balls couldn't reach me, I had to drop and play deep to receive them.
"Tshisevhe used his experience to manage me, he was always the first man to the ball. He could easily read my runs.
"I took one glance at my teammate Mpondo, and he said to me, please help us man, you are our last hope, we've run out of plans.
"Because we were now playing long balls searching for goals that might help us equalise, me and Tshisevhe we had to compete in the air as Swallows resorted to long balls.
"I ended up grabbing him with his shirt and pulled him down. It was tough man, that's when I realised professional football is tougher than amateur football.
"It was my first time playing on that type of grass, the pitch at Ellis Park Stadium was world-class.
"There was a big difference between the amateur football I was used to and the professional football, I'm talking about tactical awareness."
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