Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Anthony Laffor has emerged as a central figure to their recent resurgence.
|||Johannesburg - Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Anthony Laffor has emerged as a central figure to their recent resurgence.
The Liberian international’s contribution has gone a long way to save the blushes of the team and their coach, Pitso Mosimane.
A fortnight ago fans in yellow were ready to riot but Laffor fired a last-minute goal to lead Sundowns to a 3-2 win over Ajax Cape Town.
The goal reduced the number of fans singing derogatory songs about Mosimane, whom they wanted out of the club.
A few days later, Laffor was at it again. This time he provided an assist when Keagan Dolly led Downs to a 2-0 victory over Jomo Cosmos.
Mosimane will be hoping Laffor does it one more time when Sundowns tackle Chippa United at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in the last 16 of the Telkom Knockout this afternoon.
The man from Monrovia has started most games off the bench as an impact player but is not concerned about personal glory.
“Every player at Sundowns wants to be in the starting line-up,” he said.
“I won’t tell you that I am happy to be on the bench but the most important thing is for me to work hard for the team.
“I care less about me coming on as a sub or starting. If Sundowns win, it’s all of us winning.
“If we lose, blame all of us.
“We need to encourage the guys that are starting, though. We are a team.
“I am happy with the way things are going. The most important thing for me is to work hard.
“Being an impact player is just a bonus.
“When I came to Downs, I came here to win trophies and help the club move forward.
“I believe I can still do more. I just have to keep my feet on the ground and work hard,” said Laffor.
The unsavoury incidents by a section of the supporters, as well as the losses and draws have negatively impacted on the playing personnel but Laffor says he and his teammates have their sights on shrugging off the challenge of Chippa United to go all the way to glory.
“Every trophy is important to Sundowns.
“At the beginning of the season, we set our goals and said we wanted five.
“Now there’s four trophies to play for.
“However, we need to concentrate on the game. We can talk about winning the trophy but the first thing is to beat Chippa.
“We cannot say we are going to capitalise on their mistakes because you never know their game plan,” said the former SuperSport United playmaker.
“Things are normal in the camp. The most important thing is to win games.
“I am glad we won two games already.
“We just have to concentrate on Chippa.
“It’s a cup game. It’s one game and you’re in or out.
“If we listen to what our coaches say and keep our feet on the ground, I think we can beat Chippa.
“We have watched their videos and we believe we have a winning formula.”
By and large, Sundowns have not done well in the Telkom Knockout.
The closest they got to winning it was when they reached the final three seasons ago.
They have since been knocked out in the semi-finals.
Mosimane wants the Brazilians to claim the elusive Telkom Knockout.
Mosimane will be crossing fingers that Laffor, Keagan Dolly, Themba Zwane and teammates rock up with their A-game and put Chippa aside en route to glory.
Saturday Star
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