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Fileccia relishes Middendorp reunion

Cape Town - Maritzburg United forward Andrea Fileccia says he is looking forward to playing under coach Ernst Middendorp again following his move from Free State Stars.

The Belgian joined Middendorp's Free State side in the 2014/15 campaign from Eredivisie outfit Excelsior Rotterdam and set the Premiership alight the following season - netting six goals in 13 appearances in all competitions, before injury curtailed his progress.

Having reunited with the German born coach ahead of the new season at the Team Of Choice, the former Feyenoord Under-21 man is adamant that he can replicate the form he showed under Middendorp prior to getting injured.

"When I came to South Africa, I got a chance to play under coach Middendorp, and I was doing well until I got injured in a derby match against Celtic," he told the club's website.

The 24-year-old said that he is looking forward to playing alongside Zimbabwean hitman, Evans Rusike and also refused to get drawn into setting a goalscoring target for the new season.

"I don’t want to set a target. I will take it game after game, and I think that the pitch will talk for me, but I am confident for this season.

"He is a very good player, very strong and he can score goals. I think as a team we will do well," he said.

Middendorp will look to avoid a repeat the relegation battle that Maritzburg-based outfit endured last season, after their fate was decided on the final day of the campaign when a 2-1 defeat of Jomo Cosmos condemned Ezenkosi to the National First Division.

Fileccia concluded by highlighting what happened in the past should not be focused upon heading into the new season.

"What is done is done. Last season is gone. This is a new year and there are some new players. The coach knows all the players very well, and as players we believe one hundred percent in ourselves.

"We have a very strong team and the spirit is good. This season is going to be very different from last season," he concluded.

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