Mandla Masango has been on top of his game since returning from Olympic qualifiers in Egypt last December. This year he has taken his game to another level and revealed to kaizerchiefs.com that hard work is paying off.

You must be feeling good after your Man of the Match performance last Saturday…

(Smiling) I am happy to have contributed to the win on Saturday. Maximum points were more important than anything.

What do you attribute your form to?

I have been working very hard and now hard work is paying off. I am determined to win things with the team. I also attribute this to the support I get from family, extended family, friends, my teammates including the Coach.

Development Coach, Ntsie Maphike told kaizerchiefs.com before the Swallows game that you have improved a lot and warned that more is to come from you…

I see it as a compliment from a legend. I am overwhelmed and honoured that I am highly spoken about by people of Bra Ntsie’s calibre who is a legend here. This will further motivate me to work harder for the team.

I agree with him that my game has been improved. I am more of a team player now and I feel calmer in the box.

This weekend you will be playing in front of your home fans in Mpumalanga. In the corresponding fixture last year you had what looked like a legitimate goal disallowed…

(Laughing out loud) I have put behind all that happened last season. It is now a whole new game. I am looking forward to play in Mbombela Stadium.

We are coming up against a good team in Bidvest Wits but they can be beaten!