New Zealander André de Jong believes he can hit double figures this season, having started in impressive form for Royal AM.
DURBAN – Royal AM attacker Andre de Jong believes that the style of play utilised by Thwihli Thwahla has improved his game this season.
While he has only started making headlines recently, the New Zealander is no stranger to South African football. He initially moved to the Premiership in 2019, joining AmaZulu and spent three years on the books of the Durban club.
In that time, he failed to score a goal amidst being deployed in a number of different positions. This season, the 25-year-old has not only got off the mark in the league, but already has three goals from six games.
De Jong has said that his aim for this season is to score nothing less than 10 goals.
Media day 📌
Let’s chat about the Mtn 8 quarter finals this coming Saturday… any thoughts ? #royalam | #thwihlithwahla | #mtn8quarterfinal pic.twitter.com/OI7V12T7lp
— RoyalAM_FC (@RAMFC_sa) August 25, 2022
Royal AM’s acquisition of De Jong was largely viewed as a gamble, given his poor record with AmaZulu, but it is one which has so far paid dividends for the Durban-based team.
“I am getting more game time here. I had a good pre-season and the style of football here suits me better. I hope to keep contributing to the team in the form of goals and assists,” said De Jong.
Royal AM are set to make their MTN8 debut against Orlando Pirates at Chatsworth Stadium tomorrow. On paper, the game promises to be a tough one. While Pirates have an advantage in terms of technical quality, it is Dan Malesela’s side who will have home advantage.
Malesela has also said that his team have nothing to lose, given that the pressure is more on Pirates due to their more decorated history and experience when it comes to competing in competitions.
De Jong concedes that Pirates will go into the game as “slight favourites” but does believe his team have what it takes to win a trophy this season.
Pirates claimed a 1-0 away win over Royal AM at Moses Mabhida Stadium last week with Deon Hotto scoring the only goal of the game, which could give Jose Riveiro’s team a psychological edge.
“There is pressure on us as players. We want to win a Cup this season. It would be great to progress to the MTN 8. We can turn the tables even though we lost against them a week ago. Chatsworth is becoming a fortress for us. We have won twice and drawn there twice,” said De Jong.
Even though Royal AM lost their last game against Pirates, they did dominate possession as the Sea Robbers only saw 41% of the ball in the game. Also worth noting is that Royal AM had five shots in the game compared to Pirates’ four.
These stats indicate that the game promises to be close and it will ultimately come down to who executes the basics and converts their opportunities better on the day.
