Wolfsburg of Germany. Hearts of Scotland. And now, on a frost-bitten Wednesday night at Ellis Park, Moroka Swallows added to their list of recently taken notable scalps by beating Orlando Pirates 1-0.
A 72nd-minute goal by the enterprising Cecil Oerson, gifted to him as a result of a miscued clearance by Pirates goalkeeper Francis Chansa, made all the difference in what was anything but a classic as passes went astray with the regularity of a ricocheting ball in a pinball machine.
Still, after Pirates had enjoyed a measure of superiority in the opening period through the skilful sorties of recent signing Teko Modise, it was a more resolute and composed Birds who soared to a deserved success in the second half in this Premier Soccer League (PSL) opener as the Buccaneers’ play tended to deteriorate the more the game progressed.
And after securing victories over the Bundesliga’s Wolfsburg and Scottish Premier League club Hearts during a pre-season build-up in Europe, it may be time to regard Swallows as serious contenders for top honours in the PSL.
For youthful new Swallows coach Ian Gorowa, it was indeed a fairytale start in the new post for the former Ajax Cape Town assistant coach and former Zimbabwe international, whose appointment initially had been looked on with more than a few misgivings by many Birds fans.
It was also a triumph for the under-played Swallows line-up, with only the introduction of Alton Meiring proving a disappointment as the former Golden Arrows striker demonstrated none of the punch or penetration needed up front to transform the Birds into a truly potent force.
In contrast, the relentless Lefa Tsutsulupa in midfield, Bevan Fransman and Goodman Mazibuko in defence, and Nigerian international Greg Etafia in goal performed heroically and helped their team to victory.
Pirates, in contrast, continue to go round in circles and even when there are occasional signs of demonstrating a step forward, it is invariably followed by two in a backward direction.
In the process, the critical and vocal Pirates following, whose outspoken comments usually contrast markedly to their nickname of ”The Ghost”, is placing increasing pressure on coach Bibey Mutombo, who may or may not be responsible for the team’s malaise.
And, though it was not an altogether illogical move in the circumstances, Mutombo’s decision to bring on a player late in the game and then substitute him seven minutes later hardly improved his ratings in the popularity stakes.
A good many fans stayed behind after the final whistle to voice their displeasure over Mutombo and it probably would have been many more from the 12 000-strong crowd had the temperature not hovered around freezing point.
But it might have been a lot different had the Buccaneers been awarded a first-half penalty following one or two controversial incidents — and who knows if Swallows would have been able to stage a second-half revival from a goal down? — Sapa