ON-LOAN TS Galaxy striker Zakhele Lepasa is hoping his fine form in the Nedbank Cup will help convince his parent club, Orlando Pirates, that he is ready to return to the Premier Soccer League (PSL) next season.
Lepasa has done his reputation no harm in the PSL’s second tier of professional football and feels he is now ready to return to top flight football to fight for a place in the Bucs set-up.
The 22-year-old has been particularly lethal in the Ke Yona cup, scoring three goals in as many appearances to lead the Rockets, as Galaxy are affectionately known, to an historic final.
He will be hoping to further enhance his growing reputation and win the hearts of the Bucs’ faithful by playing a starring role in the final and pile more misery on arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs. The final will be played in front of 55 000 spectators at a sold-out Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday (7pm).
“All I need to do is to play well whenever I get the chance, like in the final this weekend, hopefully, it will be enough to convince them (Pirates) that I must be back,” said Lepasa.
“But it won’t be easy because they have a lot of good players who are full of energy. They run and work hard. But we’ll see when pre-season comes.
“Hopefully, I will be ready and gel with the team because I think I have the work ethic but whether or not that’s what the coaches want, we’ll have to wait and see.”
Lepasa has had his fair share of frustrations this campaign, especially during his initial loan spell with NFD champions Stellenbosch FC in the first half of the season.
He found it difficult to break into the Stellies side, ultimately leaving to join the Rockets in the January transfer window – a move he has described as a blessing in disguise as it has prepared him to possibly return to Pirates a better player.
“Working with someone like Coach Dan (Malesela) has been great for me, he always pushes us.
“He is a perfectionist and he is not far off from people like coach Rulani Mokwena, who push you and get the best out of players,” said Lepasa.
Lepasa’s fine form in the Mzansi version of the FA Cup has seen him bag PSL Awards nominations for Nedbank Cup Player of the Tournament and Most Promising Player.
“If it were up to me, everyone in the team would be nominated, I think we did well as a unit.
“I’m just lucky to have gotten the nominations, of course I’m happy and so is my family and hopefully I can do well,” added Lepasa.
