Thembinkosi Lorch
It wasn’t easy, but the forward has finally found his feet at Orlando Pirates
Being loaned out twice before playing a single game at your new club will always rank as a setback for any footballer, regardless of the circumstances. This is the difficulty that Thembinkosi Lorch has had to deal with since he first signed for Orlando Pirates from Maluti FET College two years ago. But now, he has quickly charmed his way into the hearts of The Ghost as they drag their way through a frustrating campaign.
At first it was joy. Signing for Orlando Pirates from Maluti FET College. It then turned to sorrow, when he was loaned out into the National First Division without kicking a ball. Worse still was the choice of club h he was sent out to, in a coastal city th that he never fancied as a progressive fo football destination, based on what h he had experienced through the two y years that he spent in the second-tier w with Maluti between 2013-15. Naturally, as someone whose parents separated at a young age, such events always prop up abandonment issues. “I was pissed at that time because I felt, ‘Why the hell are they loaning m me out without having at least given m me time to show what I am all about?’ A And worse, dumping me in a place s so far away like Cape Town,” he says, re recalling his first loan spell at Cape T Town All Stars. He had also failed trials to break into the Ajax Cape Town Under-17 team earlier in his career, and so his distaste of the Mother City was fierce. “I would have preferred to be loaned to another club in Johannesburg or somewhere inland because, in my time playing in the First Division, I never liked the football played by Cape Town sides. “They always kicked it up in the air all the time and that is not my style. Plus, Cape Town is a place that feels like another country and I honestly thought I would struggle to settle there,” Lorch confesses. Having retreated into a shell of depression, it then took the influence of his father and the sudden appointment of Dan Malesela at his loan club to turn what he perceived to be darkness into light. “It was actually my dad who convinced me to go to Cape Town, where I was lucky to meet coach Dan,” he says. “It was all down to coach Dan that I was able to enjoy my football in Cape Town, otherwise it would have been tough. “Though I initially didn’t want to go to All Stars, that loan eventually turned out to be good for me because I got game-time and right now, people have an idea of who I am because of that loan spell.” He was all smiles after completing that successful loan period, which led to an inclusion in the Bafana Bafana squad that won the Cosafa Cup in Namibia last year. But Lorch then found himself back at square one yet again soon after.
“WHY THE HELL ARE THEY LOANING ME OUT?”
(Main) Lorch has finally received an opportunity to shine for Orlando Pirates.
He was shipped out to Chippa United at the beginning of this season without his knowledge. This time he was infuriated, as he didn’t even train with The Buccaneers ahead of his move to the Chilli Boys. “It was worse the second time because I didn’t even train with the team,” he says, showing visible signs of frustration at the memory. “After we won the Cosafa Cup, we went to play a friendly in Japan and the moment I landed back at OR Tambo Airport I was phoned by Chippa [Mpengesi], who told me he was already done talking to Dr Irvin Khoza and I must come to his team. “I asked myself, ‘How did he finish everything when I don’t know anything?’. It turns out Chippa had been keen on me for a while and when I got to Pirates, I was told I had to go. “That day, I got to understand how football works. But what gave me hope with this second loan was that I was going to be working with a familiar face in coach Dan, who I had worked with before at All Stars.” However, prior to departing for Port Elizabeth, his dad had him thinking about pursuing Kaizer Chiefs, as things didn’t seem like they were working out at Pirates. “It is not like my dad wanted me to sign for Chiefs,” he relates. “He was merely talking as a Chiefs fan. Just like I also supported Chiefs growing up, he had a dream that I would get to play for them. That is as far as it went. “I have to admit, though, that along the way I had a feeling of regret about why I had signed for Pirates. I had moments when I regretted taking that phone call from Screamer Tshabalala, who had called me two days after spotting me in action for Maluti against Jomo Cosmos [in 2015].” A touch of the fast forward button on his career has seen the 23-yearold swiftly springboard himself from feeling like an interloper to being branded “the Real McCoy”. The first half of this season was enough to convince the authorities at Pirates to cut short his loan deal. “I never thought that this opportunity of getting game time like I am doing now would arrive,” enthuses Lorch, with the tone of his voice suddenly getting energised. What’s evident, more than anything, is his yearning to make a success of his move at Bucs, something he shows on and off the field. “As a player you can move to another team at any time, so you must always stay switched on,” he says. “I had gotten used to the style of football at Chippa. “Coach Dan wants the ball to be passed around and the options are always plenty, yet here at Pirates it is a different story and you have to fight. Plus, Pirates is not like Chippa because the pressure is huge and you have to double your performance when you play. “When I got here I found Pirates playing a different style, which meant I struggled in the beginning. In my first four games I could feel I was struggling. “It was only from the game against Chiefs that I felt like my normal self. I now have a much better understanding with my teammates.”
Sadly, he arrived at Pirates when the club was struggling with Augusto Palacios at the helm, following Muhsin Ertugral’s dramatic resignation. Kjell Jonevret then took over, with the side needing time to adjust to the Swede’s methods. “For now, we are playing for a top eight place,” Lorch says. “It is really difficult because things were going well for me at Chippa, and when I got here the team was not doing well, so I’ve had to push to help keep the team in a better position. “I really have to work hard. There was a time when I was even asking myself why I had to come here during this difficult period, but I left it all in God’s hands. I just have to fight. “I think the team hasn’t really gelled well as yet, considering the number of coaching changes that have happened, which has a confusing effect on players. “When a coach comes, it means you have to adjust. The coaching changes have played a huge role in the team’s struggles, but I feel all will be well eventually because coach Kjell is calm. Even though the team is not doing well, he is relaxed because he knows that all will be well eventually. We just need to keep working together.” From the glimpses Lorch has shown, there is no doubt his trickery on the ball, mobility and ability to slice open defences stand out as the reasons he has been able to impose himself at all the clubs he has played for. Lorch argues that, in as much as he can still do the tricks, he doesn’t have the license to play the way he used to in the amateur ranks. “Most people who know me from my days playing in the lower divisions have asked why I’m not playing the way they have always known. “They have always known me as a player who takes on the opponent, but I tell them that things are not the same anymore because I have to play according to the coach’s instructions and the system that he wants to use. “My friends ask why I don’t deliver the magic I used to show them, but my reminder to them is that this is not ‘Kasi’ football, where you have the freedom and have nothing to lose. “Here you are playing for the fans, the coach and your salary because this is work and you have to respect that. Tactical discipline is key in professional football,” he explains. For now, not many will have complaints about what they have seen of Lorch – born to a middle-class family and playing for his father’s team Mountain Eagles, from where he was scouted by Morena Ramoreboli to Maluti. Along the way he also had unsuccessful trials with AmaTuks, but was still courageous enough to hold on to his dream – a dream that he is now living.