On Tuesday, Lamontville Golden Arrows and Orlando Pirates will compete in a DStv Premiership game at the Princess Magogo Stadium (7.30pm).
When Abafana Bes’thende rallied to hold Stellenbosch FC to a 1-1 draw at home on Friday, they extended their undefeated streak to three games.
The KwaZulu-Natal team is eighth on the DStv Premiership rankings, three points behind Pirates in fifth position and three points ahead of Maritzburg United in fourteenth place.
The co-head coach of the Arrows, Vusumuzi Vilakazi, is happy that they have hushed their detractors and is now concentrating on improving Abafana Bes’thende as a team.
Vilakazi said, “We’re just concerned with succeeding as a team, not with what other people think.
“We have no control over what other people think of us. We cannot concentrate on the many viewpoints that football players may have. We are aware of our duties as coaches. Golden Arrows has to improve, and we want to do all in our power to make that happen.
When Pirates drew 1-1 with AmaZulu FC at home on Friday, their woes worsened as their losing streak increased to four games.
A victory against Arrows might move coach Jose Riveiro’s team into the top three slots in the DStv Premiership rankings, where Bucs are now in fifth place, three points behind Mamelodi Sundowns.
In a sincere appeal to the club’s supporters, Pirates striker Kermit Erasmus said he believes the squad will soon turn the round.
With the opportunities we produced, it is tough to accept a draw, but we must remain optimistic, stated Erasmus.
“The fans are the 12th man for us on the pitch, so we need their support to encourage us and not to be critical. Just keep us motivated, please. They must continue to inspire us; eventually, things will turn around; we only need a little more time.