Gaborone United's imposing Zimbabwean centre-back, Tatenda Gora, is riding the crest of a wave, but his hunger for success shows no signs of abating.
Fresh off a memorable season that saw him help The Reds clinch the Botswana Premier League title and bag the prestigious Defender of the Year accolade, Gora is now fixated on conquering the domestic league for the second consecutive time.
"It was a great season indeed last year with the individual accolade," he said, reflecting on a stellar campaign that saw him feature in all 30 league matches and contribute five goals from the heart of defence, concluding the season with an impressive 13 clean sheets.
"I feel like my experience, leadership, resilience, and commitment are contributing much to the team in achieving our goals so far.
“I am aiming to have more clean sheets and goals this season."
His current form suggests he’s well on his way. Gaborone United currently leads the standings with an impressive 32 points from just 12 matches, securing 10 wins and two draws.
Beyond the domestic triumph, the past year gifted Gora his first taste of the continental stage in the CAF Champions League, a journey he describes as a major learning curve, despite their early exit.
Drawn against Tanzanian giants Simba SC in the first qualifying round, Gaborone United bowed out with a narrow 2-1 aggregate loss.
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They suffered a 1-0 defeat at home, but gallantly held Simba to a spirited 1-1 draw away in Tanzania.
"It was a big year indeed, I feel I topped it up with playing in the CAF competitions and I learned a lot from it competing in the Champion League," he explained.
"We were very disappointed not to progress to the next stage of the competition because everything was in our hands. In terms of the stats, I am sure we dominated Simba, but only failed to find the back of the net.
“So yeah, very disappointing but a learning curve."
While his club career is flourishing, Gora admitted that his dream of donning the Warriors’ gold and green remained unfulfilled.
Despite his undeniable success in a league now recognised as one of the region's best, both former Warriors coaches, Michael Nees and Marian Marinica, overlooked him for the current Afcon campaign.
"It is every player’s dream to wear the national team colours," he confessed.
"Somehow, I feel neglected because I have been working hard towards it.
“Winning the league and being nominated defender of the season in a foreign land is a testament to hard work and also reaching the current half-season on top of the log with more clean sheets."
Nevertheless, his disappointment has not derailed his focus.
"Well, that won’t take away my focus on helping my team achieve more," he added, before offering his support to the national side.
"But I am 100% behind the team that will be flying the country's flag at Afcon. I think they will give their best."
As the Botswana Premier League takes an Afcon break, Gora is prioritising family time before tackling the club's individual training programmes.
"I just want to have quality time with family and friends in the short space of time before we resume," he concluded.
With the title defence firmly in his sights, Gora looks set for another season as the rock-solid heart of Gaborone United’s defence.
