Kabelo Kgositsile opened his Orlando Pirates account as the Buccaneers beat Marumo Gallants 2-0 at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace on Sunday, reducing the gap at the top of the Betway Premiership table to just one point.
Kgotsitsile and Nkosinathi Sibisi scored in each half to give the Buccaneers their sixth win in seven matches. Pirates are on 19 points with one game in hand over their rivals Mamelodi Sundowns. Meanwhile, Marumo Gallants remain rooted at the bottom of the log with two points from seven matches.
Here are the three talking points from Royal Bafokeng Sports palace:
RONNIE KANALELO STAMPS HIS AUTHORITY IN HIS FIRST MATCH
The 22nd minute substitution of Katlego Otladisa should serve as an indication to the Marumo Gallants players that newly appointed coach Ronnie Kanalelo will not tolerate laziness or players who are not committed.
Under normal circumstances Otladisa should be a key player for Gallants but it took only 20 minutes for the Namibian mentor to take him off after failing to impress.
The substitution also sent a strong message to the relegation-threatened side that under their new coach, reputations will count for little, with players selected and retained on merit and performance.
KABELO KGOSITSILE REWARDED WITH FIRST GOAL FOR ORLANDO PIRATES
Bucs winger Kabelo Kgotsitsile has been in fine form for the club since making his debut earlier this season. The 22-year-old who spent last season on loan at Baroka FC has impressed under coach Abdeslam Ouaddou.
The left-footed player scored his first and a well-deserved goal for the club during the win against Marumo. Before the match, Kgotsitsile had provided only one assist in the 2-0 win against Durban City. Like most players who have joined Pirates in recent times, Kgotsitsile has fitted well at the club and shown why the club and his coach have shown faith in him.
THE BUCCANEERS MUST CUT OUT COSTLY DEFENSIVE ERRORS
Pirates were fortunate not to concede a goal in their win over Gallants on Sunday. The first blunder came from Kamogelo Sebelebele, who miskicked a pass, and it fell to Gallants striker Etemesi Injili, who unfortunately couldn’t make use of the chance.
The Pirates centre-backs were also caught napping a few times, and Marumo forward Msindisi Kunene could have capitalised for the home side but narrowly missed, with only goalkeeper Sipho Chaine to beat. For a club that intends to defend its title, it needs to reflect on the few mistakes at the back that could prove vital at the end of the season.
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