Goal.com

Former Bafana striker and prolific PSL scorer Jerry Sikhosana told Goal.com South Africa about how the strikers can learn from his mistakes at international level

Bafana Bafana strikers poor goal conversion against Norway, has brought out the skeptics about the teams progress in the 2013 Afcon.

Former Bafana striker Jerry Sikhosana who had a similar problem when playing for the national team has told Goal.com South Africa that he would 'kill' for an opportunity to talk to the strikers of the national team and advise them about dealing with the pressure that comes with wearing the national jersey.

Sikhosana said that what causes the current demise is trying too hard to score goals, and as a result they end up making mistakes. He added that Bafana’s friendly match against Norway on Tuesday was there for the taking.

“Our strikers have what it takes to net the goals but their only problem is that they are trying too hard.  You cannot force a goal and the only way to master this is to relax. This should come natural if you are a striker but the pressure of playing in prestigious events creates tension,” said Sikhosana.

Sikhosana who played eleven matches for the national team without scoring a single goal after having being a leading goalscorer in the Premier Soccer League said he understands the frustration of the players.

“I don’t want them to do the similar mistake that I did. Remember they are selected based on their club performance and when they get to national level, it becomes a different scenario. It is only normal for them to play that way because they are trying to prove themselves, which should not be the case,” he said.

The legendary striker who made a name for himself at Orlando Pirates is quite confident that Bafana will do well during the Afcon and he said his experience as coach now have made him realise some of the things that made him fail with Bafana.

“Some of the things you learn, when you are on the other side of the table. If only I understood the secret of taking my time, thinking clearly what I want to do in that box, things would have been different. That's what our strikers must do.

“I am still confident that we will do well, provided we utilize the opportunities that we created,”said Sikhosana.