Budding striker Nkosikhona Dube is a devastated man after Golden Arrows decided to terminate his contract "out of the blue".
For Arrows, a club who’ve forever been reliant on their academy to feed the first team with players, to release Dube on the back of banging a record 20 goals in the previous season of the reserve league looks rather peculiar.
The 21-year-old striker is dumbfounded by Abafana Bes’thende’s decision to dump him barely six months after they’d promoted him from the Diski Challenge, where he remains the all-time top-scorer, thanks to his 20 strikes in the 2019/20 term.
“I am shocked and devastated… I can’t lie. I was promoted at the start of the season. I immediately started to make the 18-man match-day squad... that gave me hope I was going to get game time,’’ a discernibly emotional Dube told Sowetan yesterday.
“On Friday, out of the blue, the manager [Nonceba Madlala] called me to her office and told me I am no longer in the club’s plans. She told me straight to my face that I have no future with Arrows and then she gave me my clearance.’’
After struggling to break into the senior team this season, under the stewardship of Mandla Ncikazi, Dube returned to the reserves, scoring one goal and racked up two assists from four games Arrows played before the Diski Challenge was suspended with immediate effect last month.
“My contract was only expiring in June 2022, so I had high hopes of playing for the team that I grew up at,’’ noted Dube, who joined Arrows from amateur club Black Lion, based in his hometown of Stanger.
“Tower’’, as Dube is affectionately known, was scouted by then Arrows reserve mentor Vusumuzi Vilakazi. Nowadays, Vilakazi operates as the club’s media facilitator, amid the suspension of the reserve league.
Madlala referred all the questions pertaining Dube’s departure to coach Ncikazi. However, Ncikazi couldn't be reached for comment.
Academy graduates in the current Arrows senior team include the likes of Nduduzo Sibiya, Nkosingiphile Gumede, Seth Parusnath and Siboniso Conco, to mention but just a few.
Striker released after six months with senior team
Nkosikhona Dube dejected after Arrows dump him
Image: Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix
Budding striker Nkosikhona Dube is a devastated man after Golden Arrows decided to terminate his contract "out of the blue".
For Arrows, a club who’ve forever been reliant on their academy to feed the first team with players, to release Dube on the back of banging a record 20 goals in the previous season of the reserve league looks rather peculiar.
The 21-year-old striker is dumbfounded by Abafana Bes’thende’s decision to dump him barely six months after they’d promoted him from the Diski Challenge, where he remains the all-time top-scorer, thanks to his 20 strikes in the 2019/20 term.
“I am shocked and devastated… I can’t lie. I was promoted at the start of the season. I immediately started to make the 18-man match-day squad... that gave me hope I was going to get game time,’’ a discernibly emotional Dube told Sowetan yesterday.
“On Friday, out of the blue, the manager [Nonceba Madlala] called me to her office and told me I am no longer in the club’s plans. She told me straight to my face that I have no future with Arrows and then she gave me my clearance.’’
After struggling to break into the senior team this season, under the stewardship of Mandla Ncikazi, Dube returned to the reserves, scoring one goal and racked up two assists from four games Arrows played before the Diski Challenge was suspended with immediate effect last month.
“My contract was only expiring in June 2022, so I had high hopes of playing for the team that I grew up at,’’ noted Dube, who joined Arrows from amateur club Black Lion, based in his hometown of Stanger.
“Tower’’, as Dube is affectionately known, was scouted by then Arrows reserve mentor Vusumuzi Vilakazi. Nowadays, Vilakazi operates as the club’s media facilitator, amid the suspension of the reserve league.
Madlala referred all the questions pertaining Dube’s departure to coach Ncikazi. However, Ncikazi couldn't be reached for comment.
Academy graduates in the current Arrows senior team include the likes of Nduduzo Sibiya, Nkosingiphile Gumede, Seth Parusnath and Siboniso Conco, to mention but just a few.
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