Lyle Foster is under no illusion regarding the pressures of donning the Orlando Pirates jersey and has backed himself to deliver the goods when given the chance.

The highly-rated teenager was asked about the pressures of plying his trade for the Soweto giants and the South African junior youth international revealed that at Pirates, every game is expected to be won – from junior ranks through to the first-team.

‘The pressure at Pirates is always big, no matter which age-group you’re in. Pirates are a results-driven team. If you’re Under-12, you’re expected to win every week because you are Orlando Pirates,’ he told the media at the launch of the 2017 Discovery Walter Sisulu Soccer Challenge.

‘This is one of the biggest, if not the biggest club in South Africa. You must always deliver.

‘I went to the first team with the same mentality, that Pirates is a big team and they need to win every competition and every match they’re in,’ he added.

The 17-year-old also spoke about the criticism directed towards the Pirates strikers from coach Milutin Sredojevic who lambasted his sides inability to score, citing the goalscoring epidemic facing South African strikers on a whole.

‘I try not to focus too much on the critics and what the papers say. I just focus on what I am supposed to do at training so that when the game comes, I am ready. That doesn’t bother me.

‘If I focus on that, I will end up losing my mind and I will also start missing chances. That’s why I just keep focused and humble, stay in my own space so that I can succeed in whatever I am doing.

‘Hopefully when I am given a chance, I will deliver. But I am not saying that I will [solve the club’s scoring problems]. I bet on myself though that I will deliver,’ he concluded.

-This story originally appeared on SportsClub.co.za