SEDIBENG.- Young Pirates FC kicked off their ABC Motsepe League’s Nedbank Cup Preliminary Round campaign on a positive note at the UJ Sorts Ground on Saturday.

Pirates FC won both games, beating Ben 10 FC 3-2 on penalty shootouts. This local derby lived up to expectations, with both teams producing five-star performances.

It was a great game of football, with soccer fans coming in large numbers to support their respective teams. The game was decided on penalties after both teams failed to find the back of the net in regular time.

Young Pirates FC walked away with derby bragging rights.

As if this was not enough, Young Pirates FC continued where they left off against Ben 10 FC when they beat Dinoko City 2-1 in the second game of the day. This was the first game Isaac Mphasane was in charge of after being appointed as coach ahead of the ABC Motsepe League 2026/27 season.

This is the pace that he would want to continue when the ABC Motsepe season starts at the end of September.

There is still a lot of work that needs to be done.

Speaking to Sedibeng Ster Sport, Mphasane said it is a great start for his team.

He told Sedibeng Ster Sport that he would build on this performance when the season starts. Despite this impressive performance, Mphasane said there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. He added that these Nedbank Cup games gave him an idea of how ready they are before the season starts.

“I was happy with our performance, and this shows the effort we put in pre-season. We had a decent pre-season, playing some competitive friendly matches against high-level opponents,” said Mphasane.

Meanwhile, Young Pirates FC will know about their next Nedbank Cup Preliminary Round opponents on Tuesday.