Orlando Pirates co-coach Mandla Ncikazi has hinted that crowd favourite Vincent Pule could play a role in the Caf Confederation Cup final against RS Berkane on Friday in Uyo, Nigeria. Pule made a cameo appearance in the semi-final second leg tie at Orlando Stadium on Sunday, and Ncikazi expressed his happiness to have back on the team after recovering from an injury that kept him on the sidelines for six months.
The 30-year-old who got injured while on national duty in October last year made his comeback for the Buccaneers in Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to Ahli Tripoli in the CAF Confederations Cup. He came on as a substitute in the 79th minute, replacing Thembinkosi Lorch.
The Bucs coach singled him out as the kind of player capable of winning the team big matches. “Pule is an important member of the team, very creative, unfortunately, coming from an injury that kept him out for a long time. If we don’t give him an opportunity, he won’t have an opportunity. If he does make it to the final, those are types of players that win you matches,” said Ncikazi.
“Now we know how far he can go; we can now do more in terms of preparing him. Pule’s contribution was vivid that he was injured for a long time, but I’m still happy with the progress he has made. This season, Pule has only made six appearances for the Soweto giants, registering four assists.
The Soweto giants were also boosted by the return of Olisa Ndah, who played the entire match on Sunday. The Nigerian defender looks likely to start in his home country when the Buccaneers face the Moroccans after recovering from an injury that sidelined him for about a month.
