THE BACKPAGE phakaaathi.co.za Micho remains upbeat
PIRATES COACH: WE WANT TO COMPETE FOR EVERYTHING THAT’S THERE FOR US
Sredojevic says sorry to the fans for not winning opener.
It was not the start Orlando Pirates had hoped for when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Absa Premiership new boys Highlands Park at their own backyard on Saturday night, but the Buccaneers remain confident of trophies this season.
Midfielder Xola Mlambo – who was named Man-of-the-Match after Saturday’s game at Orlando Stadium – believes they are capable of restoring the club’s image.
“We definitely want to compete for everything that’s there for us. It is not going to be easy but we have the backing of a great squad, a great technical team and management. And with such a great atmosphere from the supporters, anything is possible,” said the midfielder.
The Buccaneers will be in Port Elizabeth tomorrow night where they meet Mlambo’s former team Chippa United at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
Coach Micho Sredojevic admitted that the result was inexcusable but also assured the supporters that it would get better.
“I need to tell you about the power of this team. We have our spiritual owners, our supporters whose hard lives we want to make as happy as possible. We have worked very hard in order to come and serve them in the best possible way. However, some things in this game you can’t control,” said Sredojevic.
“I would say I have the deepest regret and I want to apologise to our supporters for this situation that was very unfortunate. I do not remember when last Orlando Stadium had so much fans turning up.
“To whoever had come, we deeply regret what happened. We owe them and I have a sense that with the effort of the players they had given everything – but football is like that,” he added.
The last time the Chilli Boys and the Buccaneers met, Sredojevic’s side were firing on all cylinders and grabbed a 4-2 victory courtesy of a Justin Shonga brace, Bernard Morrison’s penalty and Thembinkosi Lorch’s stinging strike.
But this will be a completely different ball-game as the Chilli Boys are now back under Dan Malesela’s guidance.
The Chilli Boys didn’t have a good start as they suffered a 2-0 beating at the hands of Steve Komphela’s Bloemfontein Celtic.