Felix Badenhorst is hitting top form at the right time

Four goals in his last six matches. Back among the goals, Mbabane Swallows talisman Felix Badenhorst is hitting top form at the right time. It was only at the beginning of November when Swallows coach Thabo 'Koki' Vilakati urged Badenhorst to work hard to regain his place in the Swallows starting XI.

“There is no thinking behind it (benching Felix). When Felix is on the bench there are other players on the field doing the work. We don’t work on reputation. Badenhorst has to work his way back into the team. He is still lacking on match fitness so he has to make use of the time he is getting on the field of play,” Vilakati told journalists after his side’s 2-0 win over Vovovo in which Badenhorst started on the bench.

For much of Swallows matches till then, Badenhorst had been reduced to making cameo roles off the bench. It certainly has been difficult for the attacking midfielder to get back to speed at Swallows having returned from the less than successful spell at Congolese club AS Vita. Upon his return, he lacked that sharpness which made him so dangerous in opposition boxes before his departure. But Badenhorst has heeded his coach's call and is now hitting the kind of form that will have Swallows fans salivating as the season approaches its climax.

Like the magical Dele Alli of Tottenham Hotspur, Badenhorst's game revolves so much around his goals. That a result of his clever movement in and around the opposition box. That magical touch in front of goal looked as though it had deserted him in the early days of the current season but now Badenhorst has recaptured his goal touch. 

He scored a penalty when they beat struggling Red Lions 2-0 on the 29th of November and that goal now looks as though it was the turning point. He has scored three times since then, including one in their last match of 2017, a 3-2 win over nemesis Mbabane Highlanders. 

Now more than ever, Swallows will need their best player. Forget Tony 'TT' Tsabedze. Forget Njabulo 'D4D' Ndlovu; an on-form Felix is Swallows’ best player. Without the dependable Sabelo 'Sikhali' Ndzinisa for the foreseeable future, Swallows need Badenhorst's goals. 

With the CAF Champions League getting underway next month, the Birds will need their talisman firing on all cylinders. They made history in the Confederation Cup without him last year and now that he is back, they can do even better in the Champions League. Felix is back and Swallows have their talisman back.