Olwethu Makhanya Prepares for First Old Firm Clash
Olwethu Makhanya will walk into his first Old Firm this weekend with Celtic in town and Ibrox crackling, but the story that got him here started with a phone call home and a mother who refused to let him give up.
The Rangers defender, only 22, admits he was ready to walk away from football as a teenager after leaving home at 16 to chase a contract in Johannesburg. The move was brutal. The dream suddenly looked distant.
“I went away from home for the first time, tried, but things were not going well,” he recalled. “I called my mum this one day. I told her, ‘I just want to come back, maybe focus on education because maybe football is not for me.’”
The response on the other end of the line changed everything.
“The thing that she told me over the phone was that, ‘you left here telling me that you're going to go play football, so I want you to do that.’ I just had to keep on going until things came true for me.”
That resolve eventually carried him to Stellenbosch, then to Philadelphia Union, and now to Rangers, where he has slipped impressively into Derek McInnes’ back line since his summer arrival.
From doubt to defensive pillar
Makhanya has quickly become a key part of a Rangers side that has quietly found its edge. Four straight league wins, just one goal conceded. The numbers tell you how solid they’ve been. The manner of their latest victory says even more.
The late midweek win over St Mirren felt like a test of nerve as much as quality. Rangers bent, but didn’t break.
“I think it does highlight the fact that maybe the group is strong mentally,” Makhanya said. “That shows a lot of mentality and character from the boys.
“It's going to be very important to stay together. I think it shows a lot of togetherness and it's something that we've been working on off the field.”
That unity now faces its fiercest examination: a League Cup quarter-final against Celtic on Sunday, with a place at Hampden on the line and the season’s tone very much up for grabs.
First taste of the Old Firm fire
For all his experience in South Africa and the United States, Makhanya has never stepped into anything like this. The Old Firm is a different world.
The centre-half doesn’t pretend otherwise.
“I think everyone understands what this fixture means to the club, to the fans and everyone,” he said. “I'm really excited and looking forward to it.
“I just know that it's going to be a very passionate game. I'm honestly expecting a really, really crazy game from the fans.”
That chaos in the stands is something he intends to harness, not fear.
“We just have to try and do our job and deliver because we know the fans are going to be behind us. We're going to use them as an encouragement and also understand that we're also doing it for them. They're going to be very helpful for us.”
From a 16-year-old on the verge of quitting to a Rangers defender staring down his first Old Firm, Makhanya has already shown he can handle pressure. Now comes the question that will define his early Ibrox career: can he carry that calm into the most unforgiving fixture of them all?
