Johannesburg - Tendai Ndoro chuckled, almost proudly, when asked what has been the inspiration behind his fine goal-scoring form so far this season.
The Orlando Pirates’ marksman has hammered in eight league goals in his club's last eight matches, and doesn't intend on stopping ... not any time soon.
Tuesday night, in their ABSA Premiership encounter against Chippa United at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, the striker hopes to add to his goal tally.
“I don’t want to put myself under unnecessary pressure,” Ndoro tittered. “But the plan is to take it one game at a time and if I don’t score tonight, it won’t be the end of the world. It would be nice if I did though.”
“When I joined Pirates,” Ndoro continued, explaining what has been the impetus behind his performance this season, “Everybody was doing well in the team. They had the likes of Lehlohonolo Majoro, Kermit Erasmus and Thamsanqa Gabuza, who's still here, who were in fine form. I had to wait my turn.
“There were a whole lot people, in and outside the team, who said I wasn’t good enough to be part of the squad. You know, football politics. That pushed me to work even harder in training. I even stayed behind to work on my finishing and composure in and outside the box. And when my time came, I grabbed it with both hands. I never looked back.”
Asked why he celebrates some of his goals like Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo, Ndoro said: “That man inspires me. He doesn’t care about what other people or the media say about him. He just continues working. He takes his football very seriously. Even when he celebrates, the way he does it, his body posture and facial expression and all, it’s like he’s saying to his critics: Bring it, I’m still standing. I can relate to that. It took a long while for me to break into this team. He comes from a not so good background, too. That’s why I celebrate the way that he does. I like the man.”
Ndoro continues to remain behind after training to continue working on his finishing on a daily basis, even though he’s now a regular in the team. Those extra yards he has put in before he was a regular starter, have now turned into a habit he cannot get rid off.
The striker, however, knows that he and his teammates cannot afford to be complacent in thinking that Chippa are going to be an easy side to beat based on their previous poor performances. The Chilli Boys are 10th on the PSL table with nine points from their last eight games, following three consecutive draws and a defeat in their last four league games.
“We’ve been monitoring their performances,” Ndoro said. “Their style of play is very entertaining but, they’ve been struggling to win their matches. They come into this encounter as underdogs, based on their previous poor performances and we are well aware of that.
“This means that we’ll have to bring our A-game and fight for a positive outcome.And wWho knows, if I score, I might do the Ronaldo celebration.”
The Star