Orlando Pirates’ unfulfilled DREAM in the pre-season finale of the Betway Premiership is to collect full points in front of the fans in the final home game but everything else is still going according to plan.
These are the words of the captain of the Pirates, Nkosinathi “Bhodlela” Sibisi, which he told the Soweto media team following their escape from the chance to win the league title for the first time after 14 years. Zimnyama fought Durban City 0-0 at Orlando Amstel Arena, Soweto, on Saturday. This led to the fact that the fans who were expecting to celebrate came out dejected in this stadium where their team used to beat others.
Pirates have another chance to dislodge Mamelodi Sundowns from the top of the Mzansi league with the last game of the season against Orbit College FC on Saturday at 3pm, at Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit. They are two points behind Sundowns who are at the top with 68. This means that it must win at any cost to Magesi.
“What didn’t happen as planned was to collect full points in the last game at home but everything else is still on the line.
“We did everything necessary to ensure that we pleased our fans with full points last weekend but it was denied.
“I have nothing to complain about except the enemy who came planning to close back.
“This has prevented us from closing with full points in front of the fans who have supported us for almost the entire season. In other respects, we are still holding on. We know the task we have in the last game,” said Sibisi.
“We don’t need to be told what is expected of us as players at the weekend. I hope that the fans will not be discouraged by what they saw in the last game because the one that wraps up the season will be different.
“This is not to say that we will go head-to-head in Orbit, which we know is fighting for us, but we will play like a team that was not letting up when the season continued.
“We will do as we have been doing all season, focus on what we have planned to do and look at the mistakes of the enemy to see how we can make them work for us.”
Bhodlela (30) has the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of captains who have a history of lifting the cup along with the league title such as the late John Moeti who did it in the 1993-1994 season, Mbulelo “OJ” Mabizela (2002-2003) and Lucky “Phinda Mzala” Lekgwathi who was the last in 2020-2011 and 2011-2012.
Mabizela was 22 years old when he started his career and Lekgwathi won the league title consecutively.
This stopper from KwaZulu Natal (KZN) has a chance to defeat other prominent Pirates captains Happy Jele and Innocent Maela.