Goalie eyes SA top spot

Reyaad Pieterse wants to be Bafana Bafana’s No 1 goalkeeper‚ and that is why he joined Mamelodi Sundowns.

To even break into Bafana consistently, Pieterse will have to work on his tendency to go to pieces in a match‚ such as in his exceptionally nervy debut for Sundowns.

The keeper received a roasting for playing a hand in all three AmaZulu goals in a 3-3 Absa Premiership draw in Umlazi on Sunday last week.

Luckily for Pieterse‚ he managed to bounce back with a clean sheet in his next game‚ helping Sundowns beat Lamontville Golden Arrows 1-0 in KwaMashu in midweek.

“It’s been really good‚” Pieterse said of his move to the 2016 Caf Champions League winners in August.

“I’ve been enjoying the opportunity I got given‚ so I’m blessed about that.”

Some might question why Pieterse would go from SuperSport United‚ where he largely shared the goalkeeping duties with Ronwen Williams‚ to Sundowns‚ where he competes with three top-class glovemen in Denis Onyango‚ Kennedy Mweene and Thela Ngobeni.

“That’s one of the reasons why I joined Sundowns – because you know that when you compete against the best you only get better‚” he said.

“I want to compete for the Bafana spot as well.

“And I know that working with the likes of Kennedy and Denis‚ and working with coach Wendell [Robinson]‚ I will definitely improve,” Pieterse said.