Sandilands has faith Bafana can reach Russia

JOHANNESBURG: There is one trait that Wayne Sandilands never lacks, regardless of how difficult things are.

It’s because of that attribute he was able to pick himself up from the disappointment of being side-lined at Mamelodi Sundowns to being Orlando Pirates’ No 1 and return to the Bafana Bafana fold. That trait is faith.

Sandilands is confident in himself and his talent. But more importantly for the Pirates’ goalkeeper, it is the faith he has in his religion that is his anchor. It grounds him, giving him strength to face any adversity. It’s no surprise then that the 34-year-old believes that Bafana can still qualify for the 2018 World Cup, despite needing to overcome great odds to do so. Bafana have just one point after three matches, five points behind leaders Burkina Faso who they host at FNB Stadium on 7 October.

“There are two things that you can do, you can either sit, be depressed about it and believe that you aren’t going to Russia. If you believe that, you won’t go,” Sandilands said. “Or you believe that you can, that there is a fighting chance and you fight. Even if there is a slight glimmer of hope, you hold on to that and you fight. With that mind-set, there’s a possibility of going to the World Cup. I believe that we can still go.”

But before Sandilands can think about Burkina Faso, there’s Polokwane City to worry about first on Saturday at Peter Mokaba Stadium. The Buccaneers go to Polokwane on the back of their first defeat after a positive start that saw them collect 11 points from five matches. The loss to Wits reminded Sandilands and company that they are still far from the finished product.

“It was a rude awakening for us,” Sandilands said. “That defeat was a reminder that there are many challenges that we are going to face this season. It’s still a long way to go. After that loss we were hurt. We were hurt deeply. We are under no illusion that this is going to be a season with a lot of ups. There’ll be a bump here and there. We are regrouping knowing that the game against Polokwane City is going to be huge for us in terms of getting back where we want to be, especially before the international break.”

Sandilands has brought discipline and a solid approach in the Buccaneers’ defence. Despite it not being as tight as it should, with three new players in the back five – this Pirates defence is more solid than last season. There’s also the matter of a strike force that doesn’t send shivers down their opponents’ spine.