By
Lamontville Golden Arrows goalkeeper Sifiso Mlungwana has thanked his goalkeeping coach and the technical team for helping him retain his number-one spot in the team.
This comes after the 25-year-old struggled for game time at the start of the 2022/23 season, sitting out of Arrows' opening 11 fixtures before getting the nod against Royal AM just before the FIFA World Cup break in October.
During that period there were speculations surrounding his future making the rounds, but he has since revealed how the team helped him bounce back.
"I would like to thank my goalkeeper coach and the other guys that we work with. It wasn't easy for me because I was going through some personal challenges but the team was there for me," the goalkeeper said.
"They kept telling me that I was going to be fine until I started believing it and started pushing myself and training again, so when the chance presented itself I was ready."
Mlungwana, speaking exclusively to SABC Sport, says at times footballers are seen playing on the pitch and on television, but deep down most are not psychologically or emotionally okay.
This was the case for him, especially after earning a Bafana Bafana call-up to then finding himself fighting for his place at club level.
"Most times as players we face difficulties off the field. When people see us on TV they think we have it all together, forgetting that we are all human," he added.
"As a player when you are not well psychologically you get scared to talk to other people because they may expose your problems to others.
"Most of us go through depression which affects our performance on the field. It's very important to talk to other people. What helped me was that I spoke to a professional and addressed those personal issues, that's how I got better."
