Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro has opened up on the rise of defender Sandile Mthethwa in recent matches.
Mthethwa has proven to be a valuable addition to the Pirates team in recent matches after initially not featuring for the majority of the season.
The lanky defender made his first appearance of the season when the league resumed from the FIFA World Cup break against Mamelodi Sundowns, off the bench, at the end of December last year and did not feature again for five consecutive games before he got his opportunity again in the Nedbank Cup.
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Mthethwa scored the winning spot-kick in Pirates' penalty shootout win over Dondol Stars in the quarter-finals and went on to score a winning goal in extra-time in the Buccaneers' victory over rivals Kaizer Chiefs in the semi-finals.
The 26-year old, who has been out on loan for the previous six seasons, initially at Richards Bay and then Chippa United, was rewarded with a start in the Pirates' 1-1 draw against Sekhukhune United in the league over the weekend.
Riveiro says Mthethwa is progressing well and he's happy to see him getting the reward in the tough centre-back competition.
"We try to put the players on the field we feel are going to execute the game plan the best way and well, the situation now is asking Mthethwa to be part of (the team), getting relevance perhaps," Riveiro said in a press conference.
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"Because he's playing more minutes and the guy is answering the challenge in the right way. I'm happy for the guy because as coaches we're happy when we see that the guys that are working to make it happen get the reward you know.
"Sometimes they come to the games and maybe they are not lucky to convince everybody else. In this case he's making a lot of progression, so I'm really happy to see that also in the competition he's getting what he deserves," he added.
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