Shonga: Pirates more composed and growing in confidence up front

JUSTIN SHONGA has lauded finishing coach Stephane Adams for his newfound cutting edge in front of goals.

Speaking after his brace helped Orlando Pirates hammer Horoya FC 3-0 in their second Group B match of the Caf Champions League on Friday, the Buccaneers’ ambian striker was full of praise for the Frenchman whose appointment at the beginning of the season was generally ridiculed.

“Since the arrival of the finishing coach, Stephane Adam, we’ve improved a lot from last season,” Shonga said. “He is a good coach. He has played football before. He knows football and he gives us the right training at the right time.”

Before Friday night’s match, Guinea side Horoya had played four matches against South African sides – SuperSport United and Mamelodi Sundowns – without losing. But Pirates put them to the sword with consummate ease with Thembinkosi Lorch giving them the lead just before the break and Shonga completing the rout with his two strikes in a clinical second-half showing.

And it was all thanks to the Frenchman whose hiring elicited ridicule from rival fans, especially when the Buccaneers’ were struggling to score at the beginning of the season. But now that they are a mean machine up front, and Adam & Co are having the last laugh.

“Before he trains us, he analyses the defenders that we are going to be playing against. He then takes us to the training pitch and gives us hints on their movements,” explained Shonga who scored his brace in the space of two minutes in the 73rd and 75th minutes. “And then he shows us everything in terms of the finishing and how calm we need to be when we’re in the box. I think that it’s paying off for us. We’re more composed in every chances that we get and we’re growing in confidence.”

Adams was appointed following the Buccaneers’ struggles in front of goal last season. So bad were they that coach Milutin “Micho” Sredojevic said South Africa’s misfiring ways is the worst he had seen in the 138 countries he has been to. The Serbian promised to use shock therapy to help his strikers find their scoring boots. It didn’t work. He went up a notch in his training sessions by using two goalkeepers in one goal, so that if they can get used to beating two ‘keepers, beating one will become second nature. They gradually improved and finished last season with the second-best strike rate. This season they also have the second best attack in the PSL. Their potent attack came in handy on Friday.

And Adam will spend today working with the Buccaneers’ attackers on Baroka FC’s defensive frailties ahead of their league clash at Orlando Stadium tomorrow.

The match will be Fadlu Davids’ second as the club’s assistant coach. The former Maritzburg United coach joined an already strong technical team to serve as the club’s second assistant alongside Rulani Mokwena.

“Since Benson Mhlongo left (the club) to take the coaching job at TS Sporting, we had a gap in the second assistant coaching role,” Sredojevic said. “With that in mind, the club took the chance to bring Fadlu Davids.”