Morena relishes new role

After Thapelo Morena bagged a brace against Orlando Pirates at the weekend, Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane could be tempted to play the 23-year-old in a more advanced position against Chippa United tonight.

Morena was moved from right-back to the right wing when Anele Ngcongca was brought on midway through the second half of Down's 6-0 demolition of Pirates and it worked like a charm.

The former Bloemfontein Celtic man first hit the upright after rounding Bucs goalkeeper Jackson Mabokgwane, but he redeemed himself with two tap-ins, thanks to some unselfish work from teammates who laid the ball for him to easily finish. It was a taste of how dangerous Morena can be when he is given more freedom to attack.

Morena described his two goals in the hammering of Pirates as a "dream come true" and he's itching for more opportunities to play as a right winger, where he can get into those good scoring positions in the opposition half.

His combination with Percy Tau was a delight to watch, so this is something Mosimane could look at as an option going forward.

"It was good because it's the position I enjoy playing in. The moment I went from right-back to right wing, I hit the bar and scored two goals. This is something I have been waiting for. I would like to see myself scoring more," said Morena, ahead of the Brazilians' meeting with ninth-placed Chippa at Siza Dukashe Stadium at 7.30pm.

In their 1-0 victory at Celtic and 6-0 win over disjointed Bucs in the past few days, Downs showed both their ability to grind out a result and turn on the style.

Sundowns, in fifth place, are just six points behind leaders Cape Town City, with six matches in hand.

Before leaving for East London yesterday, Sundowns had a video analysis and a light training session to prepare for their tricky opponents.