Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro feels striker Boitumelo Radiopane will get his opportunities at the club despite his limited playing time.
Radiopane scored his first goal of the season during Pirates’ 8-1 thrashing of Marumo Gallants on Tuesday after coming on as a late substitute.
Pirates were given a first-minute lead thanks to Kenneth Nthatheni’s own goal before Gabadinho Mhango equalised for Gallants in the 23rd minute but responded in emphatic style with Tshegofatso Mabasa scoring a hat-trick, Thalente Mbatha getting a brace and Deano van Rooyen also on the scoresheet.
With the scores 7-1 in favour of the Buccaneers, they got a penalty in the 90th minute and the players decided to hand the ball to Radiopane, who converted, to the delight of everyone.
Riveiro raves over Radiopane
It was just the third game of the season for the Pirates academy graduate, who is struggling for opportunities, and Riveiro says it is difficult to select the 22-year-old given the form of Mabasa and Evidence Makgopa, who are ahead of him in the pecking order, but believes his time will come.
“Radio, trust me he is training in a super fantastic way but understanding that he is fighting for the position with a Bafana Bafana striker [Makgopa] and the top scorer [Mabasa] just a few months ago,” Riveiro told SuperSport TV.
“It is not easy to get minutes in that position in our team but not because he does not deserve it or not because he is not working for it and not because he doesn’t have the quality.
“He has all the talent to make it possible. Like he showed today [Tuesday] he is ready, he is training so well and you can see that everyone is happy to see him scoring because he is working so hard, that boy.”
Mabasa in awe of Pirates’ brotherhood
Raidiopane spent the last two seasons on loan at Cape Town Spurs where injuries disrupted his stay and has not had the best moments since his return to Pirates but his striker partner Mabasa feels he could prove to be vital for the club later in the campaign and that is why his team-mates decided to boost his confidence by handing him the penalty.
“You can see the sense of brotherhood that we have. Even when we got the penalty, everyone from the bench, including myself, shouted that Radiopane must go and take the penalty because we understand that we will need him throughout the season,” said Mabasa.
“He might not be playing that much but he got the chance today and managed to score a goal. It can only boost his confidence and everyone was happy for him. You could see the celebrations we had at the corner flag with him, everyone joined and that is the sense of brotherhood that we want.”
