New Coach, New Hope: Zothwane Looks to Write a Different Ending Against Pirates
Sekhukhune United have lost to Orlando Pirates three times this season, but none of those defeats came on Papi Zothwane’s watch.
Babina Noko face the defending champions in a Carling Knockout quarterfinal at Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday at 3pm, and the coach has no interest in the old scars.
All three defeats came under Cedric Kaze. His tenure opened with three straight losses to Pirates across the two-legged MTN8 semi-final and a Betway Premiership match.
Sekhukhune then appointed Zothwane as head coach after Kaze left by mutual agreement, and the former Richards Bay co-coach has since tried to build a new identity. This will be his first match against the Buccaneers as head coach.
Speaking at a media conference at the PSL offices in Parktown on Thursday, he said the history was not his concern.
“You can’t dwell on the past based on what happened in our past results against Orlando Pirates.
“It’s a new game. Our job as coaches is to give the players confidence, give them the structure and make them aware of the strengths and weaknesses of Pirates,” Zothwane said.
He stressed that the players must not let those defeats dictate their belief. Zothwane wants to keep the consistency he believes the team has built.
“It can’t be played the same way. We have to change a bit. We still want to keep the consistency of the team because we feel that in the past six games the team has done very well,” he said.
Pirates are favourites and chasing back-to-back Carling Cup titles, but Sekhukhune go into the game with a fresh voice and a point to prove.
