Orlando Pirates striker Katlego Mashego has admitted that his brace against Bloemfontein Celtic has done his confidence a world of good.

The forward's double guided 'Bucs' to a 3-1 victory on Sunday - the club's first three points in seven outings.

"I am very pleased that I managed to get onto the score sheet let alone twice against Celtic, it's a morale booster for me, but the best highlight of the game for me is certainly the three points we attained from the match," he told the club's official website.

Mashego revealed that the players were relieved to find the back of the net three times as they have struggled to score more than once this season.

"Scoring had been a problem for us recently and we just couldn't get the ball in the back of the net. But it wasn't without effort from our side, we were just unlucky but fortunately we always remained positive and we never dropped our heads because we always believed that things would eventually turnaround for the good," he added.

He added: "On a personal level, I've been struggling to score goals as frequently as I did when I joined the club last season. I made a good start to my career at Pirates but somehow the goals dried up when the new season kicked off.

"I've been working very hard at training to regain my scoring form and this brace against Bloemfontein Celtic will go a long way in motivating me to do well.

"However, having said that I am not going to put myself under pressure and predict the future, but one thing I can guarantee is that I will put in the extra effort in every game I'm selected to play."

Mashego admitted that he was disappointed to be omitted from the Bafana Bafana squad to face Japan and Jamaica in upcoming friendlies. However, he is not giving up hope on being a part of the World Cup party.

"With the World Cup just around the corner, I want my name to be there when the squad is announced. Every player dreams of representing his country and I am no different," said the 27-year-old.

"It will be an honour to be part of the team that represents the country in the World Cup but that is next year - for now there is a job that needs to be done at club level. I have to concentrate on doing well for the club and hopefully the rest will fall into place.

"It would be very nice to add a few more goals under my belt, and also help the team to collect as many points as possible this season and ensure that the team does well."