It is only by scoring goals that Orlando Pirates are going to rescue their season.

That sounds simple enough‚ but without their top striker Tendai Ndoro firing on all cylinders‚ Augusto Palacios’ side will struggle to do it.

Ndoro has been central to anything good about Pirates in the second half of 2015-16 and first half of the 2016-17.

TMG Sport looks at five things that make Ndoro the top striker he is:

Accuracy‚ speed and physical strength

Ndoro is what many would call a natural goal scorer. He is a player who uses his physicality and speed to bully defences. At his best‚ he’s a constant pest capable of overpowering centre-backs over 90 minutes.

Pirates have scored 15 league goals in 13 matches this season‚ 11 of those coming off the boot of Ndoro. He has scored 22 goals in all competitions this calendar year.

Restored confidence

At his lowest ebb under then-coach Eric Tinkler in the first half of 2015-16‚ Ndoro risked not even being on the pitch. But things changed in February 2016 when he scored a brace against his former club Mpumalanga Black Aces.

Since then he has not looked back‚ becoming the lead striker at the club and netting 22 goals in all competition. Suddenly he is the most feared striker in the PSL‚ and much of it has to do with the confidence gained by earning constant game time‚ and blasting in goals while doing it.

Instinctive finishing

Ndoro is the deadliest finisher in the PSL at the moment. His 22 goals in all competitions for Pirates this calendar year are proof of that.

Ndoro does have a frustrating tendency to lose interest in a game when things are not going his way. He has at times also been let down by lack of service from his creative teammates in the first round. It will be interesting to see how many goals he can score in the second round if the supply improves.

Intelligent‚ dynamic movement

The biggest reason why Ndoro has been able to score so many goals in the first half of the season is largely due to his excellent movement on and off the ball. He’s just plain elusive and a nightmare for opposition defenders to pick up. When he’s not using his pace to outstrip defenders‚ he utilises his intelligence to drift free of them.

Ndoro covers more ground and makes more sprints than other strikers and he’s been doing it in the right areas.

Fitness

Since the acquisition of Elsa Storm as the Pirates’ fitness coach at the start of the season‚ Ndoro and many of his teammates have shown marked improvements in their fitness levels. Also‚ importantly from a striker’s point of view‚ Ndoro’s sharpness and alertness are better.

His distance covered and sprints per 90 minutes are both marginally up on last season‚ but most importantly he’s proving effective for those full 90 minutes too‚ when he’s in the game.

TMG Digital/TMG Sport