Appollis left a big hole in Polokwane City – Mohafe

Polokwane City mentor Phuti Mohafe has likened losing star winger Oswin Appollis to Orlando Pirates to the passing of a family member, suggesting it’ll be very hard for Rise and Shine to replace him.

In his Pirates debut, Appollis haunted his former team in the MTN8 quarterfinals at Orlando Stadium on Saturday by winning a penalty that was converted by Patrick Maswanganyi, to give Bucs a 2-0 win.

Polokwane sold Appollis to Pirates last month.

“It’s always difficult to lose a family member. I lost a family member [in Appollis], so I am grieving,” Mohafe said.

“He left for a bigger team and all I can do is wish him well. I am feeling the pinch ... he left a big hole in my team and for me, and for us to replace him, it’s going to take some time.”

The 23-year-old Bafana Bafana ace’s cool, first-time finish in the 13th minute left Mohafe proud.

“No man, that [Appollis’ move] shows that I taught him well,” Mohafe said.

Meanwhile, Sekhukhune United's new striker, Bradley Grobler, netted twice on debut when they defeated TS Galaxy 3-2 in the MTN8 quarterfinals at Peter Mokaba Stadium in a later match on Saturday.

“It has been good for me coming into the ambitious team and they have shown faith in me. It's a nice way to get started like that. One thing that came out for me was character in the team, so all in all, I think it is a good start,” Globler told the media after the match.

SowetanLIVE