Orlando Pirates co-coach Mandla Ncikazi was not fully happy with the performance in his side’s comeback win over Chippa United and praised one player.
The Buccaneers had to come from behind to collect their second consecutive victory under Ncikazi and Fadlu Davids.
They have now won their last 12 games against Chippa but Ncikazi insisted the team can play much better than on Saturday.
“I wish we could have started better. I’m just grateful that we got the result,” he told the club’s media department.
“I’m just grateful of the hard work the team went through. Just grateful of the commitment from the team, the teamwork. If we can get a result with such a performance, I can imagine if we had to play better, the signs are positive.
“A great result, Pirates needed that (but) we still have a lot of work to do. This is not the performance that we will expect from a team like Pirates, a bit of dominance on the ball, a bit of combos on the ball. And I thought we did not do that part well.
“But for scoring, which has been our deficiency, I’m just happy that we scored three goals today, coming from a goal down that we conceded very early. There’s growth in the team. It’s very, it’s very minimal in the eyes of other people, but in our eyes, there is growth and I’m just proud of that.
“The match is a mirror of training. What I saw today, the fighting spirit, I saw it in training. And we did profess that listen, if the team is this united, if the team is prepared to to work this hard, with everything that happened yesterday, where team unity is always vivid within the team. You work for your luck, and today I think the luck was on our side because the team worked for it.”
Ncikazi als praised Tshegofatso Mabasa after he started his first game for the Buccaneers since May and once again found the back of the net.
“It’s important in our teams that win and win championship and win matches, they have got a consistent lineup, if it’s possible, and there’s no injuries would love to keep the same team,” he added.
“And if without jumping the gun I think he should start to the next match without disclosing much. We want to be consistent but sometimes injuries, they force us into situations that we don’t want to be.
“Pirates have been very unlucky lately with a lot of injuries, but I’m happy for my Mabasa. I’m happy for him to play two games and score two goals, more is to come.”
