Sundowns’ Lorch – I didn’t have a good game

Following his debut against former club Orlando Pirates, new Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Thembinkosi Lorch has reflected on his own personal performance.

The game ended in a 1-1 stalemate but Lorch had very little impact on the titanic battle. He was taken off after an hour, with the the game still goalless.

Spotting the Brazilians colours and his new jersey number 45, Lorch was subjected to jeers from diehard Buccaneers in the stands until he was substituted.

“It was never going to be easy because I was playing against my former team and you also heard the supporters booing me,” he said to the club’s media team after the game.

“I think from my performance today, I need to take it a bit higher. What Ronwen Williams said to me gave me motivation and reassurance that the guys are behind me. I must just play my normal game. Even the coach told me not to put myself under pressure and just play my normal game.”

‘I’m not happy’

Looking back at his overall contribution, the 30-year-old wasn’t pleased with his showing in front of his new fans at Loftus Versfeld. All eyes were always going to be on the former PSL Footballer of the Season who spent nearly a decade at Pirates.

“It wasn’t an easy game. I’m just happy that I got an opportunity to play but I’m not happy with the result that we got,” he said.

“I think I didn’t have a good game. It was my first game and I need to go back and do corrections to see where it went wrong because we should have won this game.”

The focus shifts to the Nedbank Cup round of 32 for Sundowns. They will play Motsepe Foundation Championship side MM Platinum on Tuesday at Dobsonville Stadium in the season-ending cup competition.

MM Platinum beat Baroka FC on penalties after a thrilling 3-3 draw in the preliminary round to reach this stage of the competition. They are coached by the decorated former Orlando Pirates and SuperSport United winger Daine Klate, who took the reins in October.

MM Platinum, also known as La Masia FC, are currently tenth in the Championship, and Sundowns will be favourites for a heavy victory today. R

Rulani Mokwena’s side will be looking for an improvement on their performance in last year’s Nedbank Cup, where they lost to Stellenbosch FC in the quarterfinals.