/ 12 December 2008

A lot at stake in Telkom final

It is round two and the stakes have been raised from three points to a winner's cheque of R4,25-million when Orlando Pirates battle Ajax Cape Town.

It is round two and the stakes have been raised from a mere three points to a winner’s cheque of R4,25-million when Orlando Pirates battle high-riding Ajax Cape Town in a potentially bloody Telkom Knockout Cup final at Chatsworth Stadium on Saturday.

Ajax, the Urban Warriors, set the stage for an intriguing battle when they tore the form books to shreds last weekend. In front of Orlando Pirates’s own supporters, they silenced the Bucs 1-0 in a premiership match Pirates were widely expected to win. With the psychological victory ahead of the Telkom final, Ajax shot to the top of the log and brought the Bucs’s incredible eight match unbeaten streak to an end.

Pirates are understandably relishing the prospect of a quick payback and skipper Lehlohonolo Seema summed up his team’s intentions in an interview after Wednesday’s training session at Johannesburg Stadium: ”The loss to Ajax at home last weekend was disappointing but it has motivated us to come back stronger in this game. It [the loss] has made us more alert and motivated to do well on Saturday,” he said.

Revenge and pride are huge factors in this no-holds-barred encounter. Money has added another dimension to the proceedings in Durban. The Cape Town-based outfit have promised their players an additional incentive of sharing R2-million, should they sink the Pirates of Soweto — enough to make any player look forward to Christmas.

There is another factor that may make the two coaches bark louder than usual from the sidelines. The result of this showdown could colour their CVs substantially in South African top-flight football.

These two mentors are on the verge of landing their first silverware in the country.

It may explain why Ruud Krol fielded a weakened side last weekend by resting the driving force behind the resurgence of the Soweto giant: Teko Modise, Bucs captain Seema and talismanic goalscorer Gilbert Mushangazhike in anticipation for this final.

The Dutchman is determined to spruce up his record early into his first season in charge of the Bucaneers by ending the club’s painful eight-year wait for a major cup triumph. On the other hand, Craig Rosslee, who took over the Ajax job from Muhsin Ertugral in 2007, is also hoping to start adding some feathers to his young coaching career hat by winning his first trophy as a premiership head coach.

A quick glance backwards suggests that history does not favour the Happy People in this competition. Despite their illustrious record both locally and in the continent, Pirates have never won this 16-year-old knockout tournament, although the Urban Warriors lifted it in 2000 when the competition was known as the Rothmans Cup. But it would be folly for either coach or side to reflect on history as Saturday presents a new ball game altogether.

Bucs desperately need to start winning a few major trophies if they are to revive their fading status as the most successful club in the southern hemisphere.

The return to action of Modise, Mushangazhike and inspirational leader Seema will be central to the 1996 Africa club champions’ aspirations.

The Urban Warriors must brace themselves for a tougher fixture than last week and will need to double their efforts to close down the combination of Dikgang Mabalane, Mushangazhike, Modise and Bennett Chenene. These are players who know exactly when to make that important run and deliver that dangerous cross into the box.

Mushangazhike, who is a tried and tested good finisher, says it took some time for coach Krol to put together this deadly combination.

‘We have been working very hard over the past few months trying to do the right things. We have improved tremendously and it will show on Saturday when we run over Ajax. I’m not a player who takes on defenders but I’m always there inside the box waiting for an opportunity to score. My name will be on the score sheet on Saturday night. I came to Pirates to win medals and that is what we are going to do,” he said.

Still, Ajax are a team oozing confidence after four straight wins and will be no pushover even without the suspended influential defender Eduardo Ferreira.

Rosslee knows he has the arsenal to inflict further misery on their more illustrious opponents. Hitman Mabhudi Khenyeza is the second leading goalscorer in the PSL with seven goals, including the solitary strike that sunk Pirates.

The strength of the Urban Warriors rests on sheer teamwork, the brilliance of underrated but effective midfielder Nhlanhla Shabalala, winger Sameehg Doutie and striker Sifiso Vilakazi, who has a knack for chipping in with vital goals.

Thabiso Shooz Mekuto, the Ajax Cape Town public relations officer, believes his team can rock the Pirates boat again.

‘Orlando Pirates are not an easy team to beat but our players can do the job on Saturday night.

Winning four games in a row really boosts the confidence of the players,” Mekuto said.

‘The battle will be in the middle of the park. Shabalala will not give Teko Modise the space he thrives on. In the past he has done well against Modise but it will be a team effort because we have capable players who can overshadow theirs,” Mekuto said.

Besides the absence of Ferreira, Ajax’s number one goalkeeper Shaun Roberts and midfielder Mfundo Shumana will both undergo late fitness tests ahead of the epic battle.