Keeper relishes the challenge
EXCITED TO HELP REBUILD PIRATES
Coming from a club that has won a number of silverware in the last couple of years – including continental trophies – and joining a club that has stooped to a new low in their performances over the past two years, Orlando Pirates new goalkeeper Wayne Sandilands says he felt his time at Mamelodi Sundowns had come to an end and needed a new challenge.
Ahead of the new Absa Premiership season, Pirates have a lot of rectification to do, particularly in the goalkeeping department, where they didn’t have a stable first choice shot-stopper last campaign, and Sandilands is looking forward to the task at hand.
“I have been at Sundowns for a long time, I felt it was necessary for a change and a new challenge and when Pirates is an option, it was just something that I became excited about. I am just excited and humbled by the opportunity to be at such a big team. I am just looking forward to the future,” Sandilands said.
“I think for me as a player it is all about focusing on what I can control, working hard and hopefully when given an opportunity give my best for the team and contribute towards that, that’s all I can do. Wait for the opportunity and when it comes try to put in a shift that will help the team to be successful.”
The 32-year-old goalkeeper who started his career at SuperSport United in 2004, added that it is a privilege for him to play for Bucs, something that every aspiring soccer player looks forward to achieving at some point in his career.
“It is an amazing feeling for me, I think it is every boy’s dream when they play soccer to play for one of the big teams in the country. It is an honour for me and I am really excited about the prospect. It is a new challenge, a very big one that will cause me to grow and get out of the comfort zone.”
Sandilands will have an opportunity to showcase his potential when Pirates take on Kaizer Chiefs in the Carling Black Label Champion Cup at FNB Stadium on Saturday.