Peleng home grown talent was Gunners' key

| Friday January 31, 2014 16:30

In this week's Down Memory Lane, Mmegi Correspondent, EDDIE KUHLMAN looks at how the Peleng spirit kept yesteryear's Extension Gunners ticking

he future looks bleak for bankrupt Extension Gunners and the team's faithful are keeping their fingers crossed that they will see another great escape.

For a few seasons in the past the Peleng side has managed to escape relegation by a whisker when the odds were stacked against them. In fact they hold the record of being the only team in the elite league that has not been relegated. (BDF are the other side, but they were saved by the relegation play-offs).

The lot they have this time around is not very convincing and if they go they may not come back... unless the people of Peleng take a serious introspection and remember the history of the club.

This column takes a trip down the lane and recollects the spirit of the gunners of the '70s, their togetherness and the support they got from the people of Peleng - everything that the team of today lacks.

There were not many teams in Lobatse in those days but competition was high. There was Maletamotse, a predominantly Ngwato team that featured mostly barutegi. Their support base was found in the locations to the north of the Peleng river - Masakana, Maipaafela, New Look, Jacaranda, and Factory and the town.

Then there was BMC, the meat commission team that could lure good players with the offer of employment at the organisation. It's following was derived from the BMC workers, their spouses and children. Into the picture also came Lobatse Stars also to some extent a wing of the meat commission and they also derived their following from the compound.

To the south of the river lies the sprawling Peleng village and the home of Extension Gunners. This is where the current team should look to for salvation.

Now it was rare for any of the mentioned teams to take on Gunners in Peleng as the place was associated with some bad elements and unruly behavior.

And thus when weekends came it was always the long trip to Masenkeng Stadium, home of Maletamotse and so called because of the corrugation zinc encloser of the ground. Or it would be the BMC cauldron that was situated in the middle of the BMC residential area.

It was also rare for players from any of these teams to join Gunners. They were called uneducated bana ba lekeisane. Likewise it was unheard of for a Peleng lad to join the other side. Those who attempted would find themselves outcasts in their own kasi.

So Gunners through the years was a predominantly Peleng team that boasted of homegrown talent. These were boys that had grown up together, hunted birds together, swam together at the Peleng Dam, dated girls together and indulged in acts mischief together.

They were indeed a street-smart lot. Every kid that played tennis ball in the dusty streets had that convinced knowledge that one day he would mesmerise opponents in Gunners colours. And that is the culture of the Gunners of yesteryear.

Today they talk of funds. I am talking of a Gunners team that had to play a game on Saturday and players would take the kit they had used home to be washed and donned on Sunday. Some of the players would take to the ground wearing takkies while others would borrow boots from their mates who were not in the line-up.

And they had a flair of their own that brand of township football was their trademark. Comes to mind the team of 1978 that swept aside everything on its way to the Super league. True to form they lived up to the culture of their elders and were the crop that would see the team soar to greater heights.

In that team there was the likes captain Alfred 'Wire' Mahloane, who was a livewire of side, Phanaka 'Gundrix' Suping, Daniel 'King Goals' Busang, Jaftha 'Black Sambo' Molebo, Stanley 'Pile' Hirschfeldt, Jomo Bogatsu, Arthur Nare, Gare Morara and Khrushev Sebolao to name a few. They won the southern second division with ease, scoring at will, on their way to the promotion play-offs.

It was always a forgone conclusion that they would brush aside the play-offs.

The team was untouchable when they won '91, '92 and '93 league title. In addition to the silverware there were some Coca-Cola Cup titles.

But it must be remembered that the Chopdat brothers, Mahommed and Rashid as well as Briton Dick Laker played a pivotal role in the success of the team.

Former Gunners midfield dynamo, Hector 'Chillyboy', who was part of the all-conquering Gunners team, attributes the success to teams having junior teams in those days.

'There were C, B and senior teams and the juniors would play before the main game and thereafter watch their role models in action,' he said.

He says: 'We grew up in the Gunners fold and it was common to find siblings featuring in the junior and senior teams. 'It was like a family thing and ours was the third generation Gunners.' He believes today's crop is only interested in money and tend to forget that Gunners is a brand forged from decades ago.

In their time the team did not incur costs for salaries and accommodation. 'We ate and slept at our parental homes.'

'Perhaps our generation let the present lot down. We did not pass down the baton like the generation before us. Today the team has to find players from places such as Ntlhantlhe, Digawana, Mogobane and so forth,' he says. It is amazing that you do find a single kasi bred players in Gunners today.

Mahloane believes the current team can do better. 'They play well, but they lack the killer instinct, something that came naturally with us,' he says. Perhaps Gunners should wind back the clock closer to home (Peleng) to cut down on the costs, they do not have the money to sustain.

The future looks bleak for bankrupt Extension Gunners and the team's faithful are keeping their fingers crossed that they will see another great escape.For a few seasons in the past the Peleng side has managed to escape relegation by a whisker when the odds were stacked against them. In fact they hold the record of being the only team in the elite league that has not been relegated. (BDF are the other side, but they were saved by the relegation play-offs).

While in the past Gunners were able to survive may be because they had a breed that could fight to the end. At one time their fate was decided in the last game and the opponents were Gaborone United, but Banks Masala (coach) saw them pull it off. The lot they have this time around is not very convincing and if they go they may not come back... unless the people of Peleng take a serious introspection and remember the history of the club.This column takes a trip down the lane and recollects the spirit of the gunners of the '70s, their togetherness and the support they got from the people of Peleng - everything that the team of today lacks.There were not many teams in Lobatse in those days but competition was high. There was Maletamotse, a predominantly Ngwato team that featured mostly barutegi. Their support base was found in the locations to the north of the Peleng river - Masakana, Maipaafela, New Look, Jacaranda, and Factory and the town.Then there was BMC, the meat commission team that could lure good players with the offer of employment at the organisation. It's following was derived from the BMC workers, their spouses and children. Into the picture also came Lobatse Stars also to some extent a wing of the meat commission and they also derived their following from the compound.To the south of the river lies the sprawling Peleng village and the home of Extension Gunners. This is where the current team should look to for salvation.

Now it was rare for any of the mentioned teams to take on Gunners in Peleng as the place was associated with some bad elements and unruly behavior. And thus when weekends came it was always the long trip to Masenkeng Stadium, home of Maletamotse and so called because of the corrugation zinc encloser of the ground. Or it would be the BMC cauldron that was situated in the middle of the BMC residential area.It was also rare for players from any of these teams to join Gunners. They were called uneducated bana ba lekeisane. Likewise it was unheard of for a Peleng lad to join the other side. Those who attempted would find themselves outcasts in their own kasi.So Gunners through the years was a predominantly Peleng team that boasted of homegrown talent. These were boys that had grown up together, hunted birds together, swam together at the Peleng Dam, dated girls together and indulged in acts mischief together. They were indeed a street-smart lot. Every kid that played tennis ball in the dusty streets had that convinced knowledge that one day he would mesmerise opponents in Gunners colours. And that is the culture of the Gunners of yesteryear.Today they talk of funds. I am talking of a Gunners team that had to play a game on Saturday and players would take the kit they had used home to be washed and donned on Sunday.

Some of the players would take to the ground wearing takkies while others would borrow boots from their mates who were not in the line-up.And they had a flair of their own that brand of township football was their trademark. Comes to mind the team of 1978 that swept aside everything on its way to the Super league. True to form they lived up to the culture of their elders and were the crop that would see the team soar to greater heights.In that team there was the likes captain Alfred 'Wire' Mahloane, who was a livewire of side, Phanaka 'Gundrix' Suping, Daniel 'King Goals' Busang, Jaftha 'Black Sambo' Molebo, Stanley 'Pile' Hirschfeldt, Jomo Bogatsu, Arthur Nare, Gare Morara and Khrushev Sebolao to name a few. They won the southern second division with ease, scoring at will, on their way to the promotion play-offs.It was always a forgone conclusion that they would brush aside the play-offs. The team was untouchable when they won '91, '92 and '93 league title. In addition to the silverware there were some Coca-Cola Cup titles. But it must be remembered that the Chopdat brothers, Mahommed and Rashid as well as Briton Dick Laker played a pivotal role in the success of the team.Former Gunners midfield dynamo, Hector 'Chillyboy', who was part of the all-conquering Gunners team, attributes the success to teams having junior teams in those days. 'There were C, B and senior teams and the juniors would play before the main game and thereafter watch their role models in action,' he said.He says: 'We grew up in the Gunners fold and it was common to find siblings featuring in the junior and senior teams. 'It was like a family thing and ours was the third generation Gunners.' He believes today's crop is only interested in money and tend to forget that Gunners is a brand forged from decades ago.

In their time the team did not incur costs for salaries and accommodation. 'We ate and slept at our parental homes.''Perhaps our generation let the present lot down. We did not pass down the baton like the generation before us. Today the team has to find players from places such as Ntlhantlhe, Digawana, Mogobane and so forth,' he says. It is amazing that you do find a single kasi bred players in Gunners today.Mahloane believes the current team can do better. 'They play well, but they lack the killer instinct, something that came naturally with us,' he says. Perhaps Gunners should wind back the clock closer to home (Peleng) to cut down on the costs, they do not have the money to sustain.