Eric Tinkler is optimistic that the sun will finally shine for Jeremy Brockie at Maritzburg United now that the New Zealand striker has broken his goal scoring drought.
Brockie has endured an uncharacteristically barren scoring run over the past two years that many began thinking his starring role for SuperSport United was just flash in the pan stuff.
But he eventually found the net on Friday night to help Maritzburg hold Cape Town City 1-1 at the Harry Gwala Stadium in an Absa Premiership tussle.
The New Zealand international had been without a goal in 15 months, Brockie having last scored on November 7, 2018 against Free State Stars while still playing in the colours of Mamelodi Sundowns.
Tinkler was over the moon that Brockie has got the monkey off his back.
“Jeremy has been fantastic this whole week at training. He came on with the right energy and mindset. He nearly scored two tonight (Friday). I am happy for him. I think, he needed that goal to lift off the pressure he has been carrying on his shoulders,” Tinkler said.
Brockie was scoring goals for fun during time with SuperSport but then moved to Sundowns and his career took a nosedive.
“The goal will give him confidence. He has worked hard. A lot of people don’t understand that it is hard when you are out as a long as he has been. The expectations are high because of what Jeremy did at SuperSport. The expectations is that he is going to come out and continue where he was. But unfortunately, the game doesn’t work like that, “ Tinkler explained of the player who is on loan at The Team of Choice until the end of the season.
“He obviously feels it (the pressure) and I said to him: 'Jeremy you know what, let us take some pressure off you. Take a bit of a rest, there’s no pressure. Let us give Clive Augusto an opportunity and I will rotate you because I’m only playing with one striker (Judas Moseamedi). That’s where the both of you will get an opportunity and if you score, fantastic but if you don’t, it doesn’t matter, relax, you are part of the squad. You got to be working until the end of the season. You shouldn’t be putting all the pressure on yourself'. I think, he took that really very, very well,” Tinkler explained.
Brockie will now be striving for consistency as he works hard to rediscover his goalscoring prowess.
“He was a different man this week at training because even at training, he was struggling. But this week he was scoring for fun. He was scoring volleys. Today he put one in but I think that was good."
@minenhlecr7
The Mercury
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