Pirates subdued by an Arrow to the heart

Golden Arrows made Orlando Pirates’ disastrous season even worse as the KwaZulu-Natal outfit defeated the Soweto giants 2-1 at the Moses Mabhida Stadium this past weekend to finish eighth in the Absa Premiership in the season’s final round of fixtures.

Abafana Bes’Thende came from a goal down to win the game and secure a spot in the top half of the league, leaving Pirates, Ajax Cape Town and Platinum Stars to finish in the bottom half of the table.

Arrows ended their season with 38 points after 30 matches, just one point above Platinum Stars who finished on ninth place, while Ajax Cape Town who were also looking to secure a spot in the top half of the standings finished on 10th place after losing 1-0 to Baroka FC at the Cape Town Stadium.

Arrows coach Clinton Larsen (right) was thrilled with his team’s fighting spirit and singled out second-half substitute Knox Mutizwa, who scored the team’s winning goal, for the impact he has made at the club.

“There is lot to think about, we have to look at some decisions. But the players showed character, they can play against the best teams in the league. I keep saying we are a very young and improving team.

“And if we keep on playing like this we can only get stronger,” said Larsen.

“I am very happy for him (Mutizwa), he has made a very good impact at the club in a very short space. I’m happy for all the players, they have worked very hard this season. I’m especially happy for the youngsters.”

“We have been constantly on the top eight over this season, we would have felt really hard done had we not made it. I’m just happy for the players, they worked very hard for the entire season,” he added.

Meanwhile, Maritzburg United also cemented their place in the top eight after closing the season with a 1-1 draw against Bloemfontein Celtic to finish in seventh place.