If Manqoba Mngqithi's words are anything to go by, then Thembinkosi Lorch has put himself in a good position to get more minutes on the pitch for Mamelodi Sundowns.
Brought on as a second half substitute in the Carling Knockout last 16 match against Golden Arrows at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Saturday evening, Lorch came up with an assist for Mothobi Mvala's goal before he had a goal disallowed for off-side.
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Lorch spent pre-season recovering from injury and missed out on Sundowns' tour of Austria, but he worked his way back into the team and Mngqithi revealed what pleased him the most from Saturday's performance, as he contributed to the 5-0 victory over Arrows.
"I must say it's pleasing to see substitutes pushing to show what they have. We've got so many matches and these few minutes that we give them are usually an opportunity for the players to get a full match and rest other players that are more established within the group. It was pleasing to see how the players showed the hunger to perform," Mngqithi said after the match in Atteridgeville.
"I was also pleased just to see Lorch showing the hunger and level of intensity, the running off the ball, trying to get into good positions and also having an assist. That's exactly what I want from an offensive player and I was very excited when I saw that.
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Peter Shalulile also made an impact when he came on as a substitute, finding the back of the net to end a goal drought which had gone on since May.
"With Peter scoring, everyone is very excited with that. We believe that this has opened more opportunities for him to score," Mngqithi said.
