JOHANNESBURG – Mamelodi Sundowns striker Jeremy Brockie believes that getting the monkey off his back against Free State Stars was a stepping stone in the right direction in his first full season with the club.
After a frustrating second half of last season with the Brazilians where he failed to score, the 31-year-old striker has now scored two cracking goals in just three matches. His second strike came courtesy of a 2-0 win in the first leg of the preliminary round of the Caf Champions League against Leones Vegetarianos in Equatorial Guinea on Wednesday afternoon.
“I spent quite a lot of time on the bench and not getting game time but for me it was about mental preparation and keeping myself in the right space because at some stage I was going to get another opportunity,” Brockie said. “When I found out that I was going to play against Free State Stars, I looked forward going into that game. I finally broke the duck, and now the confidence is back.”
However, before focusing on the Brazilians’ return match against the Equatoguineans, Brockie will be hoping to take his scoring form into the PSL as they’ll meet his former team and arch-rivals SuperSport United in the Tshwane derby on Sunday. Although Sundowns have three games in hand; it’s been a slow start for the defending champions who have only managed to bag 18 points so far.
Brockie: I spent quite a lot of time on the bench and not getting game time. Photo: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix
“It’s going to be nice coming against my former team,” Brockie admitted. “I do have a habit of scoring against my former teams and especially now that I have found the net a couple of times, it will be one thing that I’ll be less worried of. Hopefully I’ll score against SuperSport. It’s important that we get wins in these league games.”
Their encounter against Vegetarianos also marked a first team debut for Rivaldo Coetzee - following a long-term injury that kept him on the side lines since his move from Ajax Cape Town at the beginning of last season. After Coetzee ensured that the Brazilians were sound defensively against Vegetarianos, Brockie heaped praise on the 22-year-old defender.
“Riva was on his first game for the club and he looked like he’s been here and playing for years,” Brockie said.