New Orlando Pirates signing Ndabayithethwa Ndlondlo has sent a special message of thanks to his new coaches after his Man of the Match performance against Mamelodi Sundowns in the MTN8 semi-final first leg at Orlando Stadium.
The game was an entertaining affair but ended in a goalless draw, leaving the tie evenly poised ahead of the second leg on 22 October.
Ndlondlo, though, received his first Man of the Match award as a Pirates player and thanked his new coaches for immediately giving him a chance in the starting XI in his first match for the club.
“It was a tough game but we managed to come together as a team and also I need to give back to the technical team for believing in me,” he said on SuperSport TV.
“It’s my first time in the team and they gave me a start, so I needed to give back to them. I thank them for this, I think it belongs to them and the team as well, we really fought.
“It was part of the game that we drew 0-0.”
Ndlondlo also says his first day at training was really special and his new coaches and teammates encouraged him to continue with his playing style that made him become a star at Marumo Gallants.
“It was on hell of [a day], it was like a dream to me,” he added.
“Out of the blue I had to play for the biggest team in the continent. So I had to continue with the good that I’ve been doing from my previous team and translate it to the team, the biggest team in the country.
“The welcoming from the guys was very important to me, because it played a big role to me, they encouraged me, they pushed me, they told me never to change the way that I was playing and continue the way I was playing and I think I displayed that thing and thanks to much.”
