Derby victory ‘will give Pirates momentum’
Winning the Soweto Derby will be a huge morale-booster for Orlando Pirates, ahead of their opening Absa Premiership clash against Bloemfontein Celtic at the Orlando Stadium on Saturday.
Orlando Pirates players celebrate a goal (Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix)
A convincing 2-0 win over rivals Kaizer Chiefs in the pre-season Carling Black Label Cup should be more than enough to send a warning message to other teams in the Premiership following a fine display.
Thembinkosi Lorch was one of the best performers on the day, scoring a brilliant second goal for the Buccaneers after Augustine Mulenga’s opener.
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Lorch believes the win will put everyone in the right state of mind ahead of their game with Celtic.
“The win was very important because it will give us good momentum when the league starts so that we can continue pushing hard,” said Lorch.
The match also gave a chance for the club’s new players to showcase their talent to the supporters, with the likes of Bongani Sam, Gabadinho Mhango, Fortune Makaringe and Zakhele Lepasa all featuring for the first time in the big derby.
Sam, who replaced Innocent Maela in the second half, admitted to having to deal with nerves after coming on, but he says his first touch calmed him down.
“Wow, what an occasion! It’s difficult to explain what emotions I was going through, but I do know that I was nervous, almost afraid. Getting onto the pitch and having my first touch calmed me down a little bit, but the nerves didn’t leave me until I left the field because I’ve always wanted to play in the derby,” said the defender.
Pirates coach Micho Sredojevic is happy with the way things are going. The Serb said the new players might have pleased him, but warned that they still have a lot of work to do before they make the starting line-up.
“We are happy they have started on a winning note,” said the Bucs coach.
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