Ndoro: Waiting was hard

Cape Town - Orlando Pirates striker Tendai Ndoro admits it was tough watching his team-mates from the sidelines, especially when the team was struggling.

Ndoro started this campaign fourth in the pecking order behind the then in-form duo of Kermit Erasmus and Thamsanqa Gabuza followed by Lehlohonolo Majoro.

Erasmus' departure to France, followed by Gabuza losing his form and Majoro failing to take over the baton, opened the doors for the Zimbabwean. He has grabbed the opportunity with both hands, scoring eight goals in the club's last nine matches in all competitions.

"It was very hard, I won't lie," Ndoro told Vodacom Soccer. "Especially when we were struggling because you see your teammates playing and think that I could have done this or that. But I think that time out was good for me because it made me hungry.

"I knew that when I get the opportunity I should make the most of it. When I got that opportunity my teammates supported me which made it easier to perform."

In his first battle this season with one of his countryman, Charlton Mashumba at Jomo Cosmos, Ndoro won that battle by scoring a brace compared to Mashumba's solitary strike to help Pirates reach the Nedbank Cup last eight.

This coming weekend, in the Nedbank Cup quarter-finals, he will come up against another of his countryman in Khama Billiat. And Ndoro is driven to make up for lost time.

"There is something that happens when you put on this Pirates jersey. It's like it talks to you, to get the best out of you. I am in that zone and I want to repay the faith the team showed in me by helping them excel," Ndoro added.