University of Pretoria coach Michael Loftman hails Gladwin Shitolo’s leadership

University of Pretoria coach Michael Loftman has called captain Gladwin Shitolo a “legend”, praising the experienced defender’s influence on and off the pitch, including the Bible verses he sends to motivate him.

Shitolo, 35, joined AmaTuks before the start of the season after leaving Betway Premiership side Golden Arrows. Loftman immediately handed him the captain’s armband, and the defender has played in every match for the Motsepe Foundation Championship club.

His experience has been particularly valuable to younger team-mates including Nqobani Biyela, Cassidy Snyders, Oarabile Booysen and Chuene Moabelo.

Shitolo helped AmaTuks record their first home victory of the season on Monday, when they defeated Leicesterford City at Tuks Stadium.

“Gladwin is a legend. Anyone who knows Gladwin will tell you that he is an amazing person. He is a top human and a top footballer,” Loftman said.

“I actually worked with him at Pirates before, so I knew him before he came in and I knew exactly what he would bring. He is delivering that in abundance. He is someone I look up to. He’s got that much humility, focus and dedication. I respect him so much.

“He was sending me Bible verses this morning and I am reading the Bible verses with motivation. I am grateful to have someone like that.”

Loftman said Shitolo’s willingness to mentor the squad’s younger players was part of his character, rather than a responsibility that needed to be assigned to him.

“I am sure he is looking after the young ones. It’s in his nature. It’s not something I have to ask if he is doing it,” he added.

“He is someone who wants to mentor and lead and help young ones. The mentorship of young players is really important to me and the club.”

Loftman replaced Kwanele Kopo as AmaTuks head coach and is gradually settling into the role. The team are unbeaten in their past four matches, keeping three clean sheets during that run.

They have collected four points at home and four away from home.

Following the Leicesterford victory, Loftman said securing a first home win was important, although he remained focused on improving the team’s performances rather than simply chasing results.

“There’s no doubt, it’s really important to get results at home. We try not to focus on the outcome, we try on focusing on getting better each week,” he said.

“But there’s no doubt winning at home is really important, so I am really grateful to get the first points.”

Loftman said he was still trying to establish the best combination of players, with changes likely to continue as he searches for a sustainable balance.

“At the moment, we are still trying to find the right balance between the players on the pitch,” he said. “We have made a lot of changes to the team from the first game and we will continue to make changes until we find the right balance.”

AmaTuks have another home fixture next weekend, when they face Hungry Lions.