The Free State Stars Chronicle
Squad26 Feb 2029
Tempers go at Free State Stars
Kermit Mahlangu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match24 Feb 2029
Gift Dolly sends Free State Stars past University of Pretoria
It finished 2‑1, and it was Gift Dolly’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Free State Stars.
The terraces26 Feb 2029
The crowd has taken to Keagile Malepe
At 23 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
Market26 Feb 2029
Teboho Billiat steps up from the Free State Stars academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Teboho Billiat has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market26 Feb 2029
One of our own: Bongani Vilakazi joins the Free State Stars first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Bongani Vilakazi is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market26 Feb 2029
Erick Mphela steps up from the Free State Stars academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Erick Mphela has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market26 Feb 2029
Itumeleng Jali steps up from the Free State Stars academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Itumeleng Jali has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
The dugout26 Feb 2029
Hlompho Khune gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad26 Feb 2029
Words at Free State Stars training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Cohen Stander is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
In brief
- Player ratings The afternoon belonged to Gift Dolly
- Squad Morgan Billiat signs a new deal
- The dugout Itumeleng Williams: “That is the standard”