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Ever wondered why Tendai Ndoro plays like a man possessed?
The Zimbabwean hit man is on a mission to repay the faith shown in him by his Orlando Pirates team-mates and coach Eric Tinkler.
The saying, ‘when days are dark, friends are few’ does not apply to Ndoro.
Instead, the opposite happened – his colleagues encouraged and rallied around him.
He said he was reciprocating the goodwill demonstrated by other players and the technical team.
“I don’t want to let anyone down, let alone myself,” he said this week. “It has not been easy, but my team-mates were there for me. They played a huge role and kept on encouraging me.
“I did not look down or lose hope and kept on working hard, knowing that my chance would come.”
When he finally got a rare chance to play, ironically against his former side, Mpumalanga Black Aces, the 27-year-old grabbed it with both hands and he let his feet do the talking by scoring a brace.
March 21, when he finally started playing again, looks like a distant memory, as Ndoro has never stopped banging in the goals. He endeared himself to the hearts of Bucs supporters with another double against rivals Kaizer Chiefs in the Nedbank Cup.
As if that was insufficient to win over Pirates’ supporters, he did it again in style last weekend when Pirates knocked out Mamelodi Sundowns.
The Zimbabwean has scored 10 goals in his last 10 games.
He said he understood that not every player could play all the time.
“We are a squad of about 30 and the coach can only field so many players in a game. But the coach kept on talking to those of us who were not playing, and that gave me hope. I kept on working hard trying to prove myself at the gym. I have learnt that hard work and patience pay.”
Ndoro might have hit scoring success at the right time, but he does not want to put himself under any pressure with targets.
“I just want to play without any pressure. If you set yourself certain targets, you are under pressure to achieve them and you end up committing silly mistakes and losing focus.”
But he is determined to help Pirates finish in a respectable log position.
“We also want to do our best in the Nedbank Cup and win it for our supporters.”
Ndoro said he would never stop praying and thanking God.
“God is great and is doing miracles,” he said.
