In their fight to finish as runners-up in the DStv Premiership, Orlando Pirates and SuperSport United have punched above their weight all season, writes Mihlali Baleka.
Johannesburg — When the sun sets on Saturday night either Orlando Pirates or SuperSport United will be the DStv Premiership’s runners-up.
This will not be a sweeter finish than the top spot which has been claimed by the Mamelodi Sundowns for a record sixth season in a row.
But, both teams can be proud of the shift that they’ve put in this campaign as they’ve punched above their weights to consolidate a top three finish.
Pirates lost the CAF Confederation Cup final last season after finishing third in the previous season as they finished the season trophy-less.
The Confederation Cup is not a competition that Pirates will feel that they belong in — having become the first SA team to win the CAF Champions League in 1995.
Enter Jose Riveiro. The Spaniard wasn’t expected to hit the ground running due to his underwhelming CV but he made an immediate impact and Pirates are where they want to be.
They won the first trophy of the season, the MTN8, and are in the Nedbank Cup final, where they’ll face Sekhukhune United, while they are still on course to finish second behind Sundowns.
Of course, there was still a room for improvement, especially after starting their league season poorly due to the bluntness of their strikers in front of goal.
But the astute leadership of Riveiro saw them fix that problem, having also signed Scott Chikelday as a strikers and finishing coach early this year.
The Englishman wasn’t with Bucs for long, but his impact is clear to see as the scoring responsibilities have been shared among the players, with Terrence Dzvukamanja having grown in leaps and bounds since working with Chickelday, scoring seven goals in 12 league matches this year.
Pirates, though, will want to end the season on a high note – winning their last league game against AmaZulu to qualify for the Champions League and beating Sekhukhune United in the Nedbank Cup final.
Pirates already have a bone to pick with Sekhukhune after they took their top two aspirations to the wire on Saturday afternoon following their 1-1 draw at home.
Pirates remained second on the log on goal difference ahead of SuperSport, who also have 51 points, after they beat Kaizer Chiefs in their penultimate game of the season.
SuperSport — just like Pirates — also didn’t imagine that they’d return to continental football next season season.
But thanks to coach Gavin Hunt’s impact, Matsantsantsa will play in African football next season — despite the limited resources that had seen them fail to finish in the top three since 2010.
For Hunt this will go down as a good return to the club regardless of what happens when they face the stubborn Sekhukhune in their last game of the season in Polokwane.
But should they get a win and Pirates drop points against Usuthu, management will have no option but to break the bank and sign players that’ll see them put up a fight in the Champions League.
