Tough week for Buccaneers

ORLANDO Pirates face a midnight bus trip in their busy schedule to be as freshly prepared as possible for Saturday’s derby against Premier Soccer League leaders Kaizer Chiefs.

Pirates, like their arch rivals, have a midweek game before the derby.

But unlike Chiefs, who are home to Ajax Cape Town at Soccer City, the Buccaneers must travel away to Phuthaditjhaba, where they face Free State Stars at the Charles Mopeli Stadium tomorrow.

It leaves little time for coach Eric Tinkler to fit in both training and recovery between all the travel in what he described as a tough week.

Pirates’ players went for a brief regeneration session on Sunday after their win over Polokwane City on Sat- urday and were off until last night, when they trained under lights.

Today, the Bucs’ players have another practice before taking a bus to Bethlehem to camp overnight before the match against a tricky opponent.

Tinkler said yesterday the Buccaneers would not stay for a second night after tomorrow’s match against Stars and would head home straight after the final whistle.

This, even though it is a four hour trip into the dark night that will have them home only at about 2.30am.

“It’s better to get home and be able to rest up than to have to wake up and then travel back. That is where the fatigue sets in,” Tinkler said.

“We can all get home to sleep late and then we can have a late training session on Thursday again.”