Durban – Orlando Pirates co-coach Mandla Ncikazi felt that his side dropped two points following their 0-0 stalemate against Golden Arrows at the Princess Magogo Stadium in Kwa-Zulu Natal on Saturday.
“I’m disappointed. Based on the number of chances that we created, we should have won. We have got a point but we deserved three today. If you do not put the ball in the back of the net, you will not win games. If you take longer to score, the opponents gain confidence. We created a lot of chances in the first half and if we took one or two, we could have won the game,” said Ncikazi.
The result continues a frustrating run of form for the Sea Robbers. It was the second consecutive game in which they dominated possession and created more chances but did not pull off a win. The same thing happened in their 2-1 loss against arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs prior to the international break.
“It’s a process we have to work on. I hope we encourage the players. It’s the job of the coaches to work on this with the players. I’m not disappointed with the performance and effort of the players. I’m just disappointed with the result and the fact that the ball did not get into the back of the net,” said Ncikazi.
One of the few sources of joy in the game for Pirates fans would have been the sight of Boitumelo Radiopane who made his debut as a second half substitute.
“I wish he had one chance to score on debut. We have to be developmental in our approach and allow the youngsters to grow. If the youngsters do well in the MDC, we must give them an opportunity in the first-team,” said Ncikazi.
Another positive thing which Ncikazi alluded to is the fact that the several injured players who are on Pirates injury list are recovering well.
“I’m happy that players are coming back. We need a bigger pool of players and continuity. The schedule will also be very tight in December but I do think that Pirates will be able to come out of this,” said Ncikazi.
The result left Pirates in seventh position on the log and 11 points adrift of runaway leaders Mamelodi Sundowns.
Things do not get any easier for the Sea Robbers next as they travel to the Western Cape next to play against still unbeaten and second place Stellenbosch FC at the Danie Craven Stadium on Wednesday.
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IOL Sport