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Maart's Pirates debut down to hard work

Cape Town - Orlando Pirates coach Kjell Jonevret has explained that Yusuf Maart's senior debut for the club came about as a result of hard work at practice.

Maart, who played the final few minutes of Bucs' recent 3-1 victory over EC Bees in the Nedbank Cup, is a highly-rated youth prospect who made his name in the MultiChoice Diski Challenge for the Sea Robbers.

As such, Jonevret explained that it was the youngster's ambition and level of application that impressed him.

"I like to give young players a chance when there is a possibility," he told the club's official website. "Yusuf worked hard at training and was one of the guys I saw directly that he wants to go forward. 

"He is positive in his approach and he is a hard worker. So, yes, it was absolutely worth it to give him a chance. We gave him five to ten minutes but hopefully that will encourage him to work even harder. I think he has a bright future ahead of him."

Meanwhile Jonevret believes the extended break before his side's next game will allow him time to work on the squad both defensively and in attack.

The Sea Robbers' next match is a Premiership clash against Free State Stars on April 1 at the James Motlatsi Stadium in Orkney. This means Bucs have close to a two-and-a-half week period to get to work on the training ground.

Kick off is at 18:00.

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