Following a slow start to life at Mamelodi Sundowns, Bafana Bafana attacker Sibusiso Vilakazi is pleased to be back at his best for Masandawana.

The former Footballer of the Season failed to make a meaningful impact in his debut campaign with the eight-time PSL champions, scoring four times in 14 appearances, with many claiming that Vilakazi isn’t suited to Pitso Mosimane’s side.

The former Bidvest Wits man revealed how the Downs’ supporters went from booing him to giving him acclaim for his performances.

‘It’s an amazing experience and it shows the hard work we’ve been putting in as a team,’ he told Times Live.

‘It’s hugs all around. We had our difficult times, but we were eventually able to turn the corner.

‘There’s a difference between last season and this season for me, personally. It’s much better, but I would have liked to do more,’ he added.

Vilakazi, who netted six league goals and provided three assists in his 22 matches played this season, gave praise to coach Pitso Mosimane for helping him improve.

Strength In Numbers💫🌕🌕🌕 pic.twitter.com/1SwZ25nsBZ

— Vila (@sbuvilla11) May 9, 2018

‘It’s great that the coach [Mosimane] continued to show faith in me at a time when he was aware of the booing. I like playing with pressure.

‘There were times whereby I fought with myself, because I knew very well that there were games I didn’t perform.

‘There were times when I found fans booing me and that changed everything. It was motivation more than anything, because I also knew I could have done better.

‘It was a wake-up call and it shows my mental strength, because I don’t think many players can come back from [being booed].

‘They would probably just drop their heads, but for me, strange as it may sound, I had been waiting for a moment where I would be booed and see how I handle the challenge,’ he concluded.

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