JOHANNESBURG - The self-confessed “crazy” Bernard Morrison blames himself for his poor start at Orlando Pirates having arrived with a lot of expectation due to his exploits at AS Vita.
The Ghanaian forward is slowly starting to live up to the hype that surrounded his arrival in the country. Morrison scored a brace at Orlando Stadium on Saturday in the 2-0 win over Ajax Cape Town to help the Buccaneers reach the Nedbank Cup last 16.
The witty Ghanaian put on a show in the post-match press conference - cracking jokes, admitting that he is crazy and revealing that his celebration of peeing like a dog was dedicated to former Pirates’ coach Muhsin Ertugral who had a lot to say about him.
Morrison’s contribution in the win over Ajax was more than what he did the whole of last season which led to speculations that he could be on his way out of the Sea Robbers’ ship.
“The coaches have been telling us that proper preparation prevent poor performances,” Morrison said. “I think that in some way I wasn’t prepared for the task ahead. I took things lightly. Now that I am on this stage, I have to know what is ahead of me and prepare for it.”
The Buccaneers’ coach Milutin “Micho” Sredojevic praised the Ghanaian but told him that “one performance won’t mean anything but we are expecting many more good performances”.
Morrison’s brace against the Urban Warriors will go a long way in helping him move away from his poor start at Pirates.
It got so bad that he was even playing in the MultiChoice Diski Challenge (MDC), a huge downgrade for someone who played CAF Champions League football with Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) giants, Vita.
⚫️⚪️🔴⭐️
A good evening on home soil with the Bucs running riot. Comfortable from start to finish as Bernard Morrison bagged a brace. We’re all dressed up for the party at L16. And The Ghost 👻 is coming with us.
☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️ #ONCEALWAYS #NedbankCup pic.twitter.com/0uT8920MhF
— Orlando Pirates FC (@orlandopirates) February 10, 2018
“It’s true that it got to a point where I was playing in the MDC with the reserve team last season,” Morrison said. “But it was a decision I made. I wasn’t playing and I don’t have to look down upon myself.
"I decided to talk to the coaches that if I don’t have a chance of playing in the first team, then I should play in the MDC to get stronger and be more ready for the first team. It wasn’t that the coaches demoted me to the reserve team.
"What I want you to know is that with the quality of players we have in the MDC, everyone from there can fit in the first team. I don’t see much difference between the MDC and the first team.”
The 24-year-old is living his dream at Pirates even though it started with a nightmare.
He won over the club’s management after a stellar performance that saw Vita knock out Mamelodi Sundowns in the 2016 Champions League before the Brazilians were reinstated in the group stage in place of the DRC side who played a suspended player in the preliminary round.
“Playing against bigger clubs motivates you as a player,” Morrison said. “When we met Sundowns, it was an opportunity for me to prove to them and myself that I don’t deserve to play in Congo.
"With the South African league being one of the best leagues in Africa, I wanted to prove to them so that I come here and showcase my talent here as well. Now that I am here, I don’t have to look back. I have to keep pushing to do good things for myself and take my career to the next level.”