No excuses, says Pirates coach Micho

Orlando Pirates coach Micho Sredojevic says he will not use Baroka’s time-wasting tactics as an excuse for the Buccaneers failing to get maximum points on Tuesday, but would rather focus on a solution for when they find themselves in a similar situation.

Pirates rescued a point, thanks to Vincent Pule’s header late in the second half after Bakgaga took the lead early in the game, courtesy of a stunning Matome Mabeba free kick.

But they were made to sweat for the equaliser, with the visitor’s defence remaining compact for most of the match, and Baroka constantly had a player down, which caused outrage for Bucs supporters, who believed they were wasting time on purpose as Pirates piled on the pressure.

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“I will not go in that direction. I would rather be self critical. We were supposed to be mentally strong because we were prepared for that – it happened during the final of the Telkom Knockout when we were playing with 10 men and in several other situations,” said the Bucs coach.

“Very soon, it will even happen during the Champions League and other situations where people will try to delay the game. This is part of the game and we have no right to be excuse makers.

“We stretched ourselves to all possible limits, tried our best and it wasn’t to be.

“There are critical things we need to look at. No matter there is a triple-decker or whatever bus is parked, we need to find a formula, not look for excuses.”

Bucs points tally went to 32 after 18 games and they remain second on the league table. Baroka moved to 13th with 16 points as they try to move away from the relegation quagmire.

Next up for the Soweto giants is a Nedbank Cup tie against Black Leopards at Thohoyandou stadium on Saturday. Baroka will face National First Division side Jomo Cosmos on January 29.

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