HIS immediate future with Bidvest Wits might be looking rather bleak, but goalkeeper Brighton Mhlongo is not one to throw in the towel.
The former Orlando Pirates shot-stopper is determined to fight for his place in coach Gavin Hunt’s team as he looks to keep his career alive.
Mhlongo has struggled for game time with the Students with Hunt preferring Ricardo Goss and Brandon Petersen between the sticks in recent times.
The Soweto-born goalie has played a mere two matches for Wits this season, once in the Caf Confederation Cup and once in the Absa Premiership.
His contract is set to expire at the end of June with the club indicating to SunSport that they were yet to offer the goalie a new one.
“We will meet with Brighton’s representatives to discuss his future,” Wits COO Jonathan Schloss told SunSport.
Mhlongo, who had to be patient during his stay at Bucs before getting the nod in the first team, has had to do the same at Wits.
But with age not on his side anymore, it will no be easy for him to wait in line as he is currently the third choice keeper.
“The move (to Wits) obviously hasn’t quite worked out the way I had planned when I joined because I would have loved to play more games,” said the 29-year-old.
“But I still believe I’m in the right place and with the right team. I feel at home here, there is that sense of belonging. I expected it to be harder to settle in but when I got here everything was smooth sailing apart from the playing part.
“Such things do happen, competition is tough but you just have to knuckle down and work harder. You need to trust the process. I have worked with some of the best keepers at this club, all I had to do was to support whoever gets the nod because they do the same when I play.”
His time in the sidelines has not deterred Mhlongo who still harbours it’s dreams of one day playing abroad and representing his country.
He has a solitary cap for Bafana Bafana which came in a friendly match against Ghana in October 2016, and hasn’t given up on earning more in the future.
“My priority at the moment is trying to better myself as a player and get into the team. Everything else will fall into place from there,” added Mhlongo.
“I still want to go back to the national team. I still want to go and play abroad one day. You don’t stop believing and dreaming.
“So for me, with all those aspirations, the most important thing is taking things one step at a time. Work harder and start establishing myself.”
