Pirates unfazed by Santos
Ajax venture into the unknownApril 19, 2005 Edition 1
Farouk Abrahams
There is no need to press the panic button at the offices of Orlando Pirates Football Club. So said team manager Phil Setshedi from Johannesburg yesterday.
The Buccaneers are obviously still smarting from their shock exit from the lucrative Absa Cup at the hands of lowly Dynamos at the weekend, but Setshedi said they would not dwell on the past. They would rather regroup and then get on with the business of winning the league championship.
But there'll be little time in which to overcome the unexpected setback as they head straight into preparations for Saturday's Castle Premiership clash with Santos at the Johannesburg Stadium.
Pirates can't afford any slip-up as they seek to grab the coveted league trophy from defending champions and arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs.
Setshedi said the players would be told to shake off the cup defeat and to start to focus on the next task. That is to add to the woes of relegation-threatened Santos and simultaneously take a step closer to the championship.
"What happens to Santos this season is not our worry," said Sethsedi, adding that the clash with Chiefs at the end of the month would not necessarily be the big league decider.
"We want to wrap things up before then. I don't think anyone at the club would want to have to go through that kind of stress. Starting with Santos, the players know they can make life a lot easier for themselves by not dropping any more silly points."
Pirates are on 52 points from 26 matches, six points more than Chiefs, who have played a game fewer.
Mamelodi Sundowns are making a late dash for the runners-up slot which secures qualification for the African Champions League. They are level on points with Chiefs, but have played a game more than the Amakhosi, who bounced back to form with a sparkling 2-1 over Ajax Cape Town on Sunday.
Pirates also need to return to the mother city to play Ajax in a fixture which was called off last month after most of their players were laid low by food poisoning on the day of the match.
"Losing in the Absa Cup was very disappointing, but the show must go on," said Setshedi.
"Everyone of our last four matches is going to be tough. But we do still hold an advantage, so it's entirely up to us how things pan out. In other words, our destiny is in our own hands."
It's the same for Santos, whose away matches against SuperSport United and Bush Bucks follow the Pirates clash. They too can decide their own fate.
The Bucks management sounded a warning to the People's Team though, making no bones about their intentions after being booted out of the Absa Cup by Santos at Athlone on Saturday.
"Let them have the cup if they want it," was assistant coach William Mugeyi's response to the 3-0 drubbing. "We fielded a weakened side to keep some of our key players fresh for the league matches.
We want to stay in the Premiership, so not having made further progress in the cup was not a train smash.
"Santos must still come to play us at home later this month. That's when winning will matter most to us," said Mugeyi.
Ajax, meanwhile fly into the "unknown" tomorrow to face Fello Star of Guinea in the second leg of their African Champions League third-round tie in Conakry on Sunday.
The Urban Warriors take a 2-0 lead into the match, but coach Gordon Igesund's tactical acumen stands to be severely tested in what is no doubt going to be a volatile environment for his charges.
