Mandla Ncikazi talks up Thembinkosi Lorch’s importance for Orlando Pirates

Lorch had been out of action with a knee injury since August last year, and came on to score Bucs’ second in their 2-0 victory over Motsepe Foundation Championship side All Stars FC in the Nedbank Cup Last 32 clash at Wits Football Stadium last night.

Ncikazi, who spoke to the media after coach Jose Riveiro was sent off during the match, believes the 29-year-old will play a big role as the team look to finish the season strongly.

"Lorch is an important part of Orlando Pirates. He's a good player and I'm just happy that he had minutes today from a long-term injury. I just hope he grows from what he did today. He'll be a great addition to the team. There are still tough matches coming up and he will help the team a lot," he said.

Pirates did not have it all their way, with All Stars having controlled the first half and restricted Bucs from penetrating their box, and Ncikazi admitted they had challenges in the first half – including the condition of the pitch.

"There were a number of challenges in the first half, the conditions of the field did not give us freedom on how we wanted to play. We wanted to use the central corridor so much where we were losing the ball when the better option was going wide. Once we started going wide with Ndlondlo playing wide balls then we started playing well," he concluded.

Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro was sent-off in the second half, and this means that he will not be on the bench for the Soweto Derby on the 25th of this month.

Riveiro sending off in the second half subsequently means he will not be on the bench for the Soweto Derby on the 25th of this month, before also sitting out of their league match against Maritzburg United this coming weekend.