Orlando Pirates defender Olisa Ndah has made his long-awaited return from injury and is grateful to be back on the pitch.
The highly-rated defender made his first appearance of the 2023/24 campaign against Mamelodi Sundowns in the MTN8 final on Saturday.
Ndah, who came on in the 34th minute of the game to replace the injured Nkosinathi Sibisi, played a vital role in defence as Pirates defended their MTN8 title.
The Nigerian international, calm and composed, was solid at the back and made several key interceptions as the final ended goalless after 120 minutes.
Orlando Pirates won 3-1 on penalties at the iconic Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, with Sipho Chaine the hero on the night as he saved three spot kicks.
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Ndah’s last appearance for Pirates was in February when he scored an own goal in the Soweto derby against Kaizer Chiefs.
“I think it has been a difficult time for me. But I want to thank the coaching staff and the physiologists who helped me through every day. I’m happy to be back and contribute to the team winning,” said Ndah.
“I don’t think the [mistake in] the derby affected me. And I was not really bothered about what was going on. I was working hard every day to come back stronger.
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“We have a healthy competition. I don’t think we are hoping for anything bad to happen to one another. It is the second time that it happened in a row [that Nkosinathi Sibisi was substituted in the MTN8 final], so we had to fight for him and the fans also.”
Despite rumours linking him with a move away from Pirates, 25-year-old defender Olisa Ndah says he never considered leaving the club because he was still recovering from an injury.
“I have never had a conversation with the chairman [Irvin Khoza] or anything,” he added.
“The chairman supported me a lot because they saw what I was going through. I never had any thought of leaving. I was just focused on the club, nothing else.”