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Pirates teenage star wants to emulate Lekoelea

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Orlando Pirates teenager Augustine Mahlonoko

Orlando Pirates teenager sensation Augustine Mahlonoko says he wants to follow in the footsteps of his idol Steve Lekoelea.

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The Buccaneers confirmed on Friday that head coach Milutin Sredojevic has promoted the teenager to the senior team.

Pirates made history when they introduced the 16-year-old player to the field last Saturday, during their 1-1 draw against newly promoted side Highlands Park in Soweto.

Mahlonoko says he is determined to emulate what the former Bafana Bafana star has done and achieved at the club.

‘Yes, Steve Lekoelea comes from my hood. We from the same kasi,’ Mahlonoko told KickOff.com.

‘It feels great to follow in his footsteps. He made his name at Pirates and I also want to achieve great things with the club.

‘Like any human being he had his own mistakes but I want to do good things and be a good player, both on and off the field.

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‘I feel proud to be in the same team with the same players that I used to watch on TV. This is a huge inspiration.

‘My first step is to work hard for game-time. Most of the players when they get promoted struggle with game-time and this drops their confidence. So my aim is to get game-time and play as many games as I can.’

Pirates’ head of development Augusto Palacios added: ‘He [Mahlonoko] has good technique. He can create and score goals.’

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Orlando Pirates will be looking for their first victory of the season when they take on Chippa United at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Wednesday, with kick-off set for 7:30pm.