Johannesburg - Fortune Makaringe says he’s content with his role of being an impact player at Orlando Pirates even though he would like to start more games.
After racking up 40 appearances for Pirates last season in all competitions, Makaringe has featured 10 times for his club out of 16 matches this term.
But most of those appearances were from the bench, as he has only started four matches.
This is due to new coach Jose Riveiro preferring to start new attacking maestro Ndabayithethwa Ndlondlo.
But with Pirates having everything to play for this weekend as they’ll host AmaZulu in the MTN8 final, Makaringe is putting the team first.
“Last season, I was in a similar situation. I didn’t play as much as I played in the previous two seasons. But it’s something I’ve taken positively,” he said.
“I understand that it’s not about me, but it’s about the team. Whenever I can contribute to the success of the team, I always try to step up and do my best.
“I may not be starting the games regularly, but I am still playing. And it’s how one actually takes it. I am grateful for coming from outside and making an impact.”
Should he start on the bench against Usuthu at the iconic Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday night, he’ll be eager to influence the match.
After all, Makaringe knows that their opponents are high on confidence after beating Stellenbosch 1-0 last weekend.
“From what I’ve seen, they are very good on their transition play. They are a team that works for one another,” explained the 29-year-old.
“When I watched their game against Chiefs, they really fought hard. They fought for one another and what they had. And that was commendable.”
After their Soweto Derby defeat to Chiefs on Saturday, goalkeeper Siyabonga Mpontshane’s positional play for the well-taken long-range strike by Yusuf Maart was met with bemusement.
So much so that there’ve been calls for the veteran shot-stopper (38) to be dropped ahead of the MTN8 final and replaced by vice-captain Richard Ofori.
Makaringe, though, says they didn’t fault Mpontshane for that strike, calling for people to notice Maart's skill instead of pointing out individual errors.
“We haven’t talked about someone from that game because we know that it's a team sport. It wasn’t someone’s mistake, but ours that we lost,” he said.
“We did our best to our best in trying to make sure that they stay away from our goal. I think we need to grow as a nation to give credit when it’s due.
“That boy scored a beautiful goal. And that says a lot about the atmosphere that was there. It truly needed a beautiful goal for such an occasion on the day.”
IOL Sport