Another miserable day at the office for embattled Bucs coach Rhulani Mokwena
JOBURG – It was just another miserable day in the office for embattled Pirates coach Rhulani Mokwena when they were held to a goalless draw in the Absa Premiership.
Orlando Pirates will be leaderless on the pitch as they prepare for the second Soweto derby in just a week, this time in the Absa Premiership at the FNB Stadium.
This follows the sending off of their skipper Happy Jele for a second bookable offence during their premiership match against Maritzburg United at the iconic Orlando Stadium on the night of 5 November.
The second derby will played on Saturday (9 November), the first of the premiership title race after last week’s Telkom Knockout derby in Durban in which Kaizer Chiefs emerged 4–3 victors on penalties after the sides were level at 2–2 after regulation time and the 30 minutes of extra time.
In the Maritzburg encounter, Jele was given an early shower, effectively ruling him out of the crucial derby in which the Buccaneers would have wanted to avenge the penalties loss to their arch-rivals which dumped them out of the semi-finals of the Telkom Knockout.
But the Buccaneers have nobody but themselves to blame for the goalless draw against a rejuvenated Maritzburg who were the whipping boys of the previous season and only escaped relegation by the skin of their teeth after winning the play-offs.
The Sea Robbers were less clinical in their plot for goals as they wasted chance after chance of clear-cut chances. If they take this kind of play to the derby on Saturday, then they are surely bound to be in all sorts of trouble from an inform Amakhosi.
A win for the Ghosts in the Maritzburg clash would have given them the impetus and a much-needed morale booster going into the second derby just days apart from the Telkom Knockout in which they showed some guts but were let done by Ben Motshwari and Fortune Makaringe who failed to convert their spot kicks.
For Maritzburg and coach Eric Tinkler, a point away, especially against Pirates, is as good as a win, as demonstrated after the final whistle in which they held their heads high and saluted their handful of supporters.
For the embattled Bucs coach Rhulani Mokwena, it was just another miserable day at the office.
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