TS Galaxy midfielder Lindokuhle Mbatha wants to emulate Siyabonga Nomvethe and John “Shoes” Moshoeu as players who have played beyond their 40s in the Premier Soccer League (PSL).

Nomvethe, who is the assistant coach at AmaZulu, retired when he was 42 and the late Moshoeu was 43 when he hung up his soccer boots.  

At 36, Mbatha believes he can match both, but that it will depend if his legs will carry him.

“It will depend on how far my legs will take me so I can play beyond 40 like Nomvethe and Shoes. I want to match that as well,” Mbatha told the club's media department.

“If they can take me there, I will be happy, but it is not easy. A lot of players cannot reach this stage of 36 years. It's not easy. I believe that I can get there and if not, I will be happy.

“The hard work and the effort I put in when I get onto the field is because I have a lot of people who depend on me, my family, so every time I get onto the field, I must work hard because I know who I’m working for and they look at me.”

The veteran midfielder scored five goals for the Rockets last season and created five assists and was content with his contribution.

“We have to work as a team. It doesn't help that last season I scored five goals and [created] many assists but the team didn’t finish in the top eight,” he said.

“We have to work together as a team and I believe we learnt where we lost out on finishing in the top eight last season. We need to fix that this time to win more matches and get points so we can finish in the top eight this campaign.”

Galaxy will start their DStv Premiership campaign against Kaizer Chiefs at Mbombela Stadium on August 22 and Mbatha says they can’t wait for the league to start.

“Since we came back, everyone has been working hard, everything is going according to plan and now we are waiting for the league to start because we know when we are playing.

“I believe everyone is working hard because they know what they are preparing for now.”