Thabo Moloisane has expressed his gratitude and delight after becoming the latest player to join Stellenbosch FC’s 100-club.

Moloisane became just the 12th player to reach 100 appearances for Stellenbosch FC across all competitions when he started in the Club’s 1-0 CAF Confederation Cup Group C win over Congolese side AS Otohô on Sunday.

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The 26-year-old, who joined Stellies from Maritzburg United in July 2023, notably reached the milestone as the first player to have started in all 100 of his first century of matches in the famed Maroon jersey.

“It’s very important to me,” Moloisane said after the match. “It just shows [what you can do] when you put in the hard work and have a team like Stellenbosch that has believed in me from the get-go when I set foot in the team.

“I’m very proud of what I’ve achieved with the Club, and very happy that I made my 100th appearance today with a win and a clean sheet as well…”

The Bafana Bafana international was quick to share his gratitude to Stellenbosch FC and the Club’s head coach, Steve Barker, for helping him reach the 100-game mark and develop into one of South Africa’s leading defenders.

“When I arrived, things were also put very simply and straight for me in terms of what I was brought into the team for, and that made me acclimatize to the environment very quickly and very easily…,” Moloisane said.

“Then there’s the sheer hard work [that goes on behind the scenes] and the belief we get from Coach Steve and the entire technical team, and how the environment continuously encourages us to get better, as a footballer and as a person, because the motto of the Club itself is More than Football…”

He added, “One thing that I picked up when I got to Stellies is improving on my hard work. The more you work hard, the easier it becomes and the better you get, and I must give credit to Coach Steve for that.

“He changed the type of football that I was probably used to. He made me a firm defender, which is what I think I needed, and that’s why I think I am getting to 100 games. It shows the belief that he has in me, and it also shows the contribution that I’ve put into the team.

“It’s no mean feat, and I believe I was the first player to get to 100 games for the Club by starting each and every match…”

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Looking back on the century of appearances, Moloisane named Stellies’ triumph in the 2023 Carling Knockout as the standout moment in his time in the Winelands thus far, and he believes the Club will enjoy similar success again soon.

“I have so many of those [moments to choose from] because we’ve enjoyed a lot of highs as a Club,” he said.

“It’s probably winning the Carling Knockout, just for the chance to make history for the Club and win the first [top-flight] trophy as a team and for the Stellenbosch badge.

“That literally put us in a different bracket when we won the trophy, that this is a team to be reckoned with. This is a team that is here to fight for its place at the top, and while it might not be like that at the moment, I can promise you this team will be back and firing again.”