Botswana international Diphetogo 'Dipsy' Selolwane has justified the faith his new Ajax Cape Town coach, Muhsin Ertugral has in him by scoring the winner in the 2-1 victory over giants Orlando Pirates in the MTN 8 Cup quarterfinal on Wednesday night.

The player struck a low shot from the edge of the box in the 77th minute, which left Pirates' goalkeeper Moeneeb Joseph stranded. Earlier in the first half, young striker Thulani Serero had opened the score for the Cape side before Katlego Mashego equalised for Pirates with a beautiful free kick a few minutes into the second half.

Selolwane's goal brought a lot of joy to the Ajax bench and his new coach Ertugral hugged him for close to a minute. This was a good development for Selolwane who at the end of the last season was placed on the transfer-list by the club management but Ertrugal arrived from Kaizer Chiefs and reversed the move. He must have been very satisfied with Selolwane's performance at the Coca-Cola Park in Johannesburg on Wednesday night.

The striker was put on the transfer list despite the fact that he had a good season at the club despite playing in an unfamiliar central midfield role. At the time, Selolwane's age was used as an excuse for releasing him. But when Ertugral arrived in the Cape, he convinced the management to keep the player. He immediately joined the club in Holland for pre-season training. By yesterday, Selolwane was still in cloud nine after scoring the winner. He said that it has taken a lot of hard work for him to stay at Ajax. "It is true that the club put me on transfer but when Muhsin arrived, he changed that. When I returned to Cape Town, the coach told me that he still needed me and wants me to play in the midfield. I accepted the challenge and I knew that I will play under him because during the pre-season, I featured in all the games."

It is understood that some clubs in the South African Premier League have inquired about the services of Selolwane, but they have been told to back off by the management. He said Ajax managed to overcome the favoured Pirates by studying their play before the match. "We have been watching Pirates during their pre-season tournaments and we knew what to expect from them. We didn't want to give them space because we know they are dangerous. Tactically, I would say we were prepared for them hence we managed to win."

Selolwane said the goal he scored in midweek meant a lot to him because he spent the whole of the 2008-2009 season in frustration because he did not score. "I'm known for scoring goals and last season was the worst. I like scoring goals and when I scored it came as a relief. The coach was happy for me and it took a lot of team effort to achieve the result," he said.

On Sunday, Ajax meet Pirates again, this time at the Newlands Stadium in Cape Town in their opening 2009-2010 Absa Premier Soccer League fixture. Selolwane said that they will have to put the midweek result behind them and focus on gaining maximum points in the league match.

"They (Pirates) are a marvellous side. It is going to be a tough game but we will have to come to the party," he said.

Meanwhile, Selolwane has congratulated the management, technical team, players and supporters of Gaborone United (GU) for winning the 2008-2009 be MOBILE Premier League.

"It has been a long time without winning the league and for those youngsters to come and do it, they deserve all the credit for a job well-done," said the former GU star. It took the Reds 19 years to lift the league trophy.