Pirates’ Shandu welcomes ‘favourable’ Carling Knockout draw

Orlando Pirates defender Bandile Shandu has welcomed the Carling Black Label Knockout draw.

The Buccaneers were pitted against Magesi FC in the last-16 draw that took place in Sandton on Tuesday.

Pirates will play at home against the newly-promoted side and Shandu has expressed excitement over the “favourable” draw.

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“It’s a favourable draw for us because we’re playing at home, but we respect every team we come across. But it’s a boost for us because we want to make Orlando Stadium, a stadium that’s hard to play in, especially for teams coming up against us,” said Shandu.

“I think we have set the foundation for ourselves in terms of the MTN8 [by winning it], and we also had a great start to the season in terms of the Betway Premiership. So it’s a matter of building on from there and carrying on fighting for one another, doing what we are supposed to do on the pitch.

“It’s also about carrying on the team and the coach’s instructions the way that he presents them to us and the rest will take care of itself,” he added.

Shandu, who has recently recovered from a long-term injury, has admitted that it has been hard for him to watch the team achieve success from the stands but adds that he is grateful for the support he has been getting from the club and teammates.

“This has been my first big injury in my career. It was a first experience for me and it took a huge toll on me,” said Shandu.

“It’s been tough (injuries) physically and mentally but the support that I have from the Orlando Pirates management, the technical team, medical staff, and my teammates as well has made the journey a bit easy.

“Even though it is hard I couldn’t thank them enough. Physically I’m getting there (recovering) but I’m going to leave the rest of the update to the team,” commented Shandu.

Shandu on competition at Pirates

With Pirates having signed Thabiso Lebitso and Deano van Rooyen during his absence, Shandu is not threatened by their additions to the club.

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“Like I said before, it just shows the brotherhood we have [in the team], the camaraderie. It just shows how much we support and push one another, not just in a certain position.

“We also push each other as teammates. You could see by the way we play that we are just one big happy family,” concluded Shandu.