Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro says the influx of academy products making an impact in the first team is part of a collective effort and clear vision of the club.
The Pirates match day squad that beat Cape Town City 2-1 this weekend had five development products, with the likes of Relebohile Mofokeng and Mohau Nota playing a crucial role in their win to keep their title race with Mamelodi Sundowns alive.
Siyabonga Ndlozi, 22, also made a cameo from the bench whilst 19-year-old DStv Diski Challenge squad captain Mbekezeli Mbokazi was a notable name on the bench too.
And Riveiro hinted this could be the way to move forward for the club, instead of spending big in the transfer market.
“No… I think it’s a mistake [to say that], for me it would be nice to say it’s about me giving opportunities, or that I’m the brave one,” Riveiro said.
“I think we have to give value to the whole club for good scouting in the early stages to have good players in our DDC, then give them the proper platform to showcase their talent, have good communication with different departments in the club.
“And honest [conversations]. Then it’s about finding the right moments for them, the right timing – this is my third season here, every season we try to create that space for them, Rele is a clear example but there’s many more that will come in the future.
“It’s not about Riveiro, it’s about the club having a clear vision of the team that they want to have in future – and the way the talent, one of the talent pools for the club is, so we don’t always have to go to the market when we have the right player, the right profille already,
“At the end of the day, every player is coming from an academy, not a different planet and suddenly playing here, just a different academy, we are all coming from academies, sometimes we look at our own academies like it’s a high risk, I don’t think so.”
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The Spaniard who comes from a background of youth development in the esteemed set-up of Spanish club Celta de Vigo admits that players that grow up within a club bring a different level of heart and commitment than you can find anywhere in the market.
“I have said many times, what you get from your academy players, is something you won’t get anywhere else, they will always give you something special because they feel the club in a different way,” he continued about the development of youth players.
“They have been here as ballboys, they were around the guys for one or two seasons and suddenly they are playing with them, they are willing to give you something extra that maybe you cannot get somewhere else.
“But it’s about the vision of the club and trying to do it as good as possible with mistakes, sometimes it won’t work perfect all the time, but I think so far – coach Joseph [Makhanya], the people between the first and second team, everyone is doing a good job.
“For the players who are already part of the structure, might be an extra motivation and hope to see, Rele, Mbokazi, Ndlozi, Nkota, the other ones around, Azola [Tsobeni], [Boitumelo] Radiopane, [Thabiso] Sesane, there’s a lot of names there to feel proud of and to wish to be there as soon as possible.”
