A clash between Soweto giants Chiefs and Pirates is always a heated affair, but with both teams desperate for maximum points Saturday’s match is bound to be a sizzler
SOCCER: Andrew Muchineripi
ONE does not require an advanced football coaching certificate to realise that Orlando Pirates striker Jerry Sikhosana is going to receive careful attention when they confront traditional giants Kaizer Chiefs in the Castle Premiership on Saturday.
The man known as Legs of Thunder has crucified the Amakhosi this season, scoring a hat-trick in the 4-1 Bob Save Super Bowl semifinals rout and the only goal when they met again in the first round of the championship. Sikhosana has had his ups and downs, forcing his way into the national team only to lose his place last month following the World Cup defeat in Pointe- Noire, where he never seriously threatened the Congolese defence.
But if anything can inspire a Buccaneer to produce his best it is the sight of those black and gold shirts, which will bear the logo of new multimillion-rand sponsors Total for the first time.
The match at FNB Stadium is of paramount importance to both clubs with the losers virtually waving goodbye to any hope of catching surprise packets Manning Rangers in the chase for the R500 000 first prize. Rangers, alias the Mighty Maulers, enter the weekend on 61 points with five matches left, Chiefs have 58 with four to go and Pirates 54 with six fixtures outstanding.
The fat is truly in the fire. If Rangers defeat QwaQwa Stars at home on Friday night and the big showdown finishes all square, the chances of the title returning to Durban after an absence of more than a decade will be greatly enhanced. So think of whatever clich you wish … do or die, make or break, all or nothing, win or bust. They all apply.
Chiefs and Pirates desperately need the three points because a draw will favour only Rangers. Chiefs’ coach (oops, sorry, youth development officer) Jeff Butler once commented that only journalists were foolish enough to predict the results of football matches, and in this instance his advice makes perfect sense.
Not even the most dyed-in-the-wool member of The Ghost could have dreamt that Sikhosana was going to rip Chiefs’ defence apart like a flimsy piece of worn cotton when the teams last clashed at Soccer City. The nightmare continued at Ellis Park as the former Witbank Aces striker pounced on a moment of defensive indecision by Jacob Tshisevhe and drove the ball past goalkeeper Brian Baloyi at the near post. Baloyi knelt, head down, while a visibly shaken Tshisevhe picked the ball from the net.
It was the defining moment of a match missed by suspended national captain Neil Tovey.
The fair-haired guardian of the gates to Chiefs’ defence has since lost his place in the team and the captaincy of Bafana Bafana and nobody will observe his performance this weekend more closely than the man so many fans hate to love, national coach Clive Barker.
Tovey against Sikhosana, Gavin Lane against Mark Williams, Dumisa Ngobe against Isaac Kungoane … the list of enthralling individual clashes is never-ending and let us hope that each physical contest is fierce, and fair.
The likely outcome? Even Butler will surely agree that one moment of magic or madness will probably determine whether black and gold or black and white become the most popular colours in South Africa come dusk on Saturday.
Rangers began the second half of the Premiership programme with a late victory over QwaQwa in an undistinguished match where even the winner from Big George Koumantarakis had an element of luck.
With a visit to Pirates scheduled for the final weekend of the season, Rangers will want maximum points from Stars, Vaal Professionals, Bush Bucks (home) and Real Rovers (away) to try and ensure no last- round heartache.
The methodical ruthlessness with which the Maulers mauled Aces in Witbank last weekend suggests coach Gordun Igesund, unsung right-hand man Afzal Khan and the boys in blue and yellow can do it. They may never get a better chance.
Equally fascinating is the struggle to avoid relegation with bottom-of-the-table Aces still insisting they can perform an escape act to embarrass even Houdini.
For all the optimism of coach Steve Haupt, the Coal City Giants appear doomed unless they win their remaining five matches, which will not be easy considering the previous 29 have produced only four triumphs.
It promises to be quite a battle out Witbank way on Sunday, given that the visitors are Amazulu, the present occupants of 17th position, which also carries a relegation tag come the end of the season.