Thembinkosi Lorch walked away with R1000 00 on his return to action with Orlando Pirates on Friday evening, as he was named Man of the Match.
The Buccaneers secured a 2-0 win over Cape Town Spurs and advanced to the quarter-finals of the Carling Knockout.
Then 30-year-old completed the full 90 minutes on his first start for the campaign and he revealed it has been a tough year for him.
Read: Lorch Returns As Bucs Advance In Carling Knockout
"First of all I'd like to thank the man above you know for the talent that he gave me and the opportunity to showcase my talent," Lorch said on SuperSport TV.
"It has been a tough year for me but I kept going. I'd like to thank my family for the support and the fans for supporting me. I think getting their message, asking me when do I come back. I had to come back strong.
"I have not been playing and it's not easy, a player like me not playing. Ja, we have a good team, I had to work hard to get my starting line-up back," he said.
Lorch revealed he was starting to cramp up in the latter stages of the second half against Spurs.
"To be honest I was struggling in the first-half but the coach believed in me. He asked me if I can continue and I told him 'Ja I can!' even though the last minute I was cramping but ja we keep going," he added.
"The pressure is there, the pressure will always be there, especially playing for a big team like Orlando Pirates, so for me it's to deliver, work hard in each and every chance I get to play," he said.
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