Orlando Pirates goalkeeper Siyabonga Dladla has expressed gratitude toward his teammates and technical team and dedicated his debut and clean sheet to his late mother.
The 24-year-old made the step up to the Pirates senior team ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, having represented the Buccaneers at youth level.
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Dladla was given the nod ahead of first choice goalkeeper Sipho Chaine by interim coach Mandla Ncikazi, and even though he was kept fairly busy on the night by SuperSport United’s attack at the Peter Mokaba Stadium, the debutant stood resolute for Pirates to come away with a clean sheet.
The Tshwane-born shot-stopper was called in to make three saves out of nine shots aimed at goal and took time to thank his peers for the support and made special mention of dedicating his debut to his late Mom.
“I can’t ask for more but I’m mostly thankful for the support I have,” Dladla told OP TV.
“This one I dedicate mostly to my mom cause she had passed on.
“So, it [debut] really means a lot to me and yeah, I hope I do a whole lot more.
“It looks promising also. I wasn’t easy; as the game progressed, I felt better, also help from my teammates also – the backline, technical team.
“They helped me so well in becoming courageous.”
Pirates beat Matsatsantsa 1-0 courtesy of Mohau Nkota’s second-half strike and now make the trip to Durban to take on AmaZulu on Saturday, 24 May.
