Well-travelled striker Mame Niang may have been persuaded to come out of retirement to rejoin his former club University of Pretoria on a one-year deal, but the Senegalese goal-poacher insists he's still a lethal centre-forward.
Less than a month after confirming his retirement, it took just one phone call from his ex-teammate Tebogo Munyai, now sports director at Tuks, to convince Niang to overturn his retirement decision.
"I am feeling stronger than before. I am positive that I will help the club gain promotion to the top-flight. I think I am still that lethal striker you know. I scored in a friendly match against Orlando Pirates (which they drew 1-1] last week," Niang said yesterday.
The lanky striker is no stranger to the NFD, having turned out for Stellenbosch and Royal Eagles in the past two seasons. He linked-up with both these clubs midway through the season.
"I am familiar with the NFD. I have scored some important goals in this league for Stellenbosch and Eagles. It is a huge advantage that I'm joining AmaTuks early in the season. I have been having time to gel in the team, learning the coach's philosophy," he said.
Although Niang was on Thursday still waiting for his work permit, he was optimistic that he would have received it in time to feature in their Sunday's away clash with Witbank Spurs.
Meanwhile, the KZN derby between Real Kings and Uthongathi, which was scheduled for Saturday, was postponed following the death of Uthongathi president Nicholas Mkhize on Monday.
NFD FIXTURES (all at 3pm)
Saturday: TS Sporting v Ajax, Kabokweni Stadium; Eagles v Tshakhuma, Chatsworth Stadium
Sunday: TS Galaxy v Ubuntu, Kameelrivier Stadium; Stellenbosch v Mbombela, Idas Valley Sports Ground; Spurs v AmaTuks, Puma Rugby Stadium; Maccabi v Cosmos, Dobsonville Stadium
Monday: Umoya v Richards Bay, Cape Town Stadium
Niang raring to go after hiatus
Well-travelled striker Mame Niang may have been persuaded to come out of retirement to rejoin his former club University of Pretoria on a one-year deal, but the Senegalese goal-poacher insists he's still a lethal centre-forward.
Less than a month after confirming his retirement, it took just one phone call from his ex-teammate Tebogo Munyai, now sports director at Tuks, to convince Niang to overturn his retirement decision.
"I am feeling stronger than before. I am positive that I will help the club gain promotion to the top-flight. I think I am still that lethal striker you know. I scored in a friendly match against Orlando Pirates (which they drew 1-1] last week," Niang said yesterday.
The lanky striker is no stranger to the NFD, having turned out for Stellenbosch and Royal Eagles in the past two seasons. He linked-up with both these clubs midway through the season.
"I am familiar with the NFD. I have scored some important goals in this league for Stellenbosch and Eagles. It is a huge advantage that I'm joining AmaTuks early in the season. I have been having time to gel in the team, learning the coach's philosophy," he said.
Although Niang was on Thursday still waiting for his work permit, he was optimistic that he would have received it in time to feature in their Sunday's away clash with Witbank Spurs.
Meanwhile, the KZN derby between Real Kings and Uthongathi, which was scheduled for Saturday, was postponed following the death of Uthongathi president Nicholas Mkhize on Monday.
NFD FIXTURES (all at 3pm)
Saturday: TS Sporting v Ajax, Kabokweni Stadium; Eagles v Tshakhuma, Chatsworth Stadium
Sunday: TS Galaxy v Ubuntu, Kameelrivier Stadium; Stellenbosch v Mbombela, Idas Valley Sports Ground; Spurs v AmaTuks, Puma Rugby Stadium; Maccabi v Cosmos, Dobsonville Stadium
Monday: Umoya v Richards Bay, Cape Town Stadium