The Free State Stars Chronicle
Market19 Feb 2029
Only the photograph left for Reece Braithwaite
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Reece Braithwaite will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Free State Stars the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Match17 Feb 2029
9 unbeaten for Free State Stars
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 9 matches without defeat is a foundation Free State Stars did not have in the autumn.
Boardroom19 Feb 2029
Reece Braithwaite has agreed to leave Free State Stars for nothing
He will play here until the summer and then walk out of the door for free, having already signed elsewhere. Supporters will manage the first part of that sentence; it is the second they will struggle with.
Squad19 Feb 2029
Tempers go at Free State Stars
Thulani Dala 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.
The terraces19 Feb 2029
One of their own: Themba Manyama
He is 22 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
Market19 Feb 2029
Teboho Williams steps up from the Free State Stars academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Teboho Williams 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.
Market19 Feb 2029
One of our own: Gift Mabunda joins the Free State Stars first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Gift Mabunda is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market19 Feb 2029
Ronwen Mabunda steps up from the Free State Stars academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Ronwen Mabunda 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.
Match17 Feb 2029
Free State Stars see off Polokwane City
Three points for Free State Stars, 1‑0 the final word against Polokwane City in a contest settled by the finer margins.
In brief
- Player ratings The afternoon belonged to Themba Manyama
- Squad Luther Erasmus signs on for more
- The dugout A satisfied Siyabonga Kekana