In this edition of My Welcome to the League Moment, former Moroka Swallows striker Phumelele Bhengu shares with KickOff how intimidating his first few games in the PSL were.
Bhengu reflects on how matches against Orlando Pirates and Free State Stars showed him a different side of the beautiful game.
"Being promoted to the Swallows' first team was exciting for me, I was happy to have realized my dream, and that was in the 2007/2008 season," Bhengu tells KickOff.
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"That excitement lasted until we faced Orlando Pirates and Free State Stars.
"The Pirates game was a true test of my abilities as a PSL player, it was the toughest match. They still had Teko, Mbuyane, Lucas Twala, Seema, and Mdledle on their team.
"Some of the Pirates players would tell me straight to my face that if I tried to play well, they would kick me hard. They said this right in the tunnel. 'We will not allow some kid to dribble us,' Mdledle said to me. Just hearing that made me freeze in fear. He said it while looking straight into my eyes, wearing his six-pin boots. At that time, their kit had a really bad smell. Inhaling the scent of that muti would make you drowsy immediately.
"Mdledle would kick me, and the referee, Victor Hlungwani, would just say, 'Hayi vuka Bhengu, asambe Bhengu, abakwenzanga lutho Bhengu,' [laughs].
"The next moment, he would be on my side and say to Lucas Twala, 'Twala, I will book you if you hurt this boy. This boy still has a long career ahead of him, while yours is about to end', [laughs].
"Then there was a game against Free State Stars away, which felt like bloodsport, by full time, the grass was stained red with blood," he added.
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"The guys from Free State Stars were very rough. They were strong and tough. I don't know what made them so aggressive.
"The more I complained, the more they enjoyed kicking me. They would ask me, 'What is this small boy doing here? We are here to work for our kids'.
"Those are moments that made me who I am today. I learned the hard way. I learned to make quick decisions and release the ball early.
"That's why I kept scoring despite everything. Even now, I can still feel the lingering smell of the Pirates' muti."