Phakaaathi.co.za Captain Mobara ‘humbled’
MASSIVE HONOUR: PIRATES’ STAND-IN SKIPPER HAS TAKEN TO THE JOB LIKE A DUCK TO WATER
He started well when Bucs proved too good for Sundowns.
In the absence of skipper Thabo Matlaba, Abbubaker Mobara has come in and led Orlando Pirates with relative aplomb in two consecutive games, helping the club to four points and he said it had been a good experience for him.
The Cape Town-born defender captained Pirates when they ended Mamelodi Sundowns’ recent dominance over the Soweto giants with a 3-1 beating two weeks ago. Mobara wore the armband again in their 1-1 draw with Polokwane City at the Orlando Stadium last Saturday, which saw Pirates go three games without defeat since the start of the year.
“It is a very good experience for me, coming from Cape Town and getting the armband at such a big club is humbling. It will teach me to lead and also allow me to grow both as a person and a player,” said the former Ajax Cape Town defender.
“I have to push myself in every game. It’s the best way to learn. The coaching staff are also great because they believe in us. We have to repay the faith they show in us. We will fight till the end and chase the guys at the top.”
In the game against Rise and Shine, the Buccaneers had to really fight hard in order to ensure they got back into the game after going 1-0 down early in the first half. Mobara adds that sticking to the coach’s instructions helped them get an equaliser which was scored by substitute Lyle Foster after coming on in the second half.
“As a team, we have to play to instructions, and they were very clear to us. We made it quite difficult for ourselves by conceding an early goal, but the team’s fighting spirit was good and we believed we could make it. We stuck to the plan and got the reward. If we had deviated from our plan we might not have made it at the end. In any situation, you have to remain tactically disciplined.”
Mobara and his team-mates will be looking to get back to winning ways when they meet Platinum Stars at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace on Saturday.