Following his sparkling display for Bafana Bafana against Ghana in a crucial World Cup qualifier at the iconic FNB Stadium on Monday night, the TS Galaxy midfield maestro, Ethan Brooks returned to the Rockets on Thursday.
The Rockets have a date with Lamontville Golden Arrows on Saturday at Mbombela Stadium in a DStv Premiership encounter at 3pm.
Brooks is now a vital cog for Galaxy and performed with distinction at the start of the week in Bafana Bafana colours.
“It was amazing for me. I’ve been watching Ghana since a very young age. It is one of my mother’s favourite African teams. It was a good experience for me to start and finish the game. I learned a lot throughout that whole game,” Brooks detailed.
Bafana Bafana emerged as 1-0 winners thanks to a solitary strike by Bongokuhle Hlongwane.
Brooks started on the bench when Bafana Bafana shared the spoils with Zimbabwe in a 0-0 stalemate at National Stadium in Harare.
“He (Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos) made it very easy for me the day before the game. He said I must go and play like I always do at my club. He insisted that I must play with confidence and anything will come well. The coach gave me the belief to go out there and have faith in my abilities and perform against those big guys. I was confident. I want to thank the coach for believing in me,” he added.
The victory against Ghana propelled Bafana Bafana to the top of the log with four points after two games.
“Everyone worked together as a unit. We all put in the hard work. We worked for each other and the country,” Brooks elaborated.
Brooks wears jersey no.19 when playing for Bafana Bafana. TS Galaxy assistant coach Shaun Bartlett used to don the same number during his time with the national team.
“I have to put in the hard work every day to maintain consistency. For me, a number is just a number,” Brooks explained.
Social media was abuzz following the eye-catching performance dished out by Brooks.
“I’m happy to have all those praises. I’m happy with those praises and comments but at the end of the day, I have to keep working hard so that those comments can keep on coming,” Brooks said.
Bafana Bafana hasn’t qualified for the World Cup since 2002.
“It does give us a lot of hope. Being on top of the log is good for us. It is not over though. We have to focus on Ethiopia now and hopefully, we can do what we did to Ghana there and maintain our place on top of the log,” Brooks stated.
Bafana Bafana will now face Ethiopia in October in back-to-back matches.
“It is very vital that we get that six-point against Ethiopia. It will help us to stay on top of the log. We are going to that game hoping that we can get those points,” Brooks elaborated.