SuperSport United midfielder Siphesihle Ndlovu says he still has a desire to get back to his best that saw him win the PSL Midfielder of the Season in the 2017/18 campaign.
A driver and conductor of the orchestra in tandem with Fortune Makaringe and Lebogang Maboe, Ndlovu was the punch above the rest with Maritzburg United.
He helped Maritzburg reach the Nedbank Cup final – their first in the PSL era but they lost 1-0 to Free State Stars.
On their way to the final, they beat Mamelodi Sundowns in the semis, with all three of them untouchable under coach Fadlu Davids.
At the end of the season, Ndlovu scooped the Midfielder of the Season and also made his Bafana debut.
Before the 2018/19 season started, Maboe was sold to Sundowns, while Ndlovu and Makaringe spent that season in KwaZulu-Natal but Maritzburg struggled, surviving through the play-offs under Eric Tinkler.
At the end of that horrific campaign, Orlando Pirates grabbed Ndlovu and Makaringe before the 2019/20 went underway.
But Ndlovu, just like Makaringe, struggled to find his feet at Pirates although he scored a Soweto Derby goal against Kaizer Chiefs, but he hardly played and sometimes out of position.
Knowing that his future at Pirates was uncertain, he initially joined SuperSport United on loan last season and the move was made permanently in this transfer window, which was a huge relief to Ndlovu.
“Great moment it was and I’m still happy about it till today,” Ndlovu recalled his best from 2017/18.
“Obviously it still drives me today in my performances in every game that I play for every team that I play for.
“As much as it can never be the same, but that is still the drive for me, that I need to stay as high as I can, make sure that I’m also consistent.”
Last season, Ndlovu appeared to have recaptured his old form in his favourite central midfield position and he built a sound synergy with Grant Margeman, who was on loan from Sundowns, starting 21 of his 22 league appearances, scoring one goal.
He helped SuperSport to finish third last term to qualify for the CAF Confederation Cup, and just like Ndlovu, Margeman has also been signed permanently by SuperSport from Sundowns.
Ndlovu has welcomed his permanent switch, as he has a settled home and no longer considers what is going to happen at the end or the start of the season.
“Obviously I’m very happy to be at SuperSport,” he added.
“It is one of the biggest clubs in the league, one of the teams that fight for silverware, one of the teams that is displayed as a big club which starts and finishes people’s careers.”
