Ncikazi: Pirates still have so much to fight for

THE expectations that come with playing for Orlando Pirates are so high that players do not have room for complacency when they play for the team.

- MIHLALI BALEKA

This was the revelation of Pirates interim coach Mandla Ncikazi after his troops bounced back to winning ways on Tuesday night with a 1-0 victory over SuperSport United.

Pirates secured their No 2 spot on the log with five games to spare, as Mamelodi Sundowns had wrapped up the Premiership title this season.

But after Ncikazi dropped the ball in the second game of those five, having former coach Jose Riveiro win the first one in his last outing, that incensed The Ghost.

They saw their chances of avoiding the gap at the top of the log to not end on double digits take a huge knock ahead of their last three games.

Ncikazi and his troops heeded positively to the critics on Tuesday night in Polokwane, though, as they beat SuperSport United 1-0 to trim the gap to 14 points with two games to spare.

That win didn’t only mean the gap could be eight points by the end of the season, but it also saw Pirates break an 18-game winning record in the league for the first time in the PSL era.