AmaZulu promise Bucs a fight

AmaZulu’s last league game of the season against Orlando Pirates at Moses Mabhida Stadium tomorrow is of no consequence for Usuthu, as they’ve already avoided relegation and can’t finish in the top eight.

Be that as it may be, the club’s caretaker coach Ayanda “Cobra” Dlamini doesn’t like the sound of that as he vows they’ll still come out with guns blazing against the Buccaneers, who are conversely desperate for a win to hold onto their second spot in order to qualify for the next edition of the CAF Champions League.

“We will go all out. I have told the players that if anyone thinks there’s nothing to play for, then they might as well go on holidays before this game and stop training. For me, it’s very important to wrap up the season with a win,” said Dlamini.

A win for Usuthu would help SuperSport United beat Pirates to the second spot, should they avoid a defeat in their synchronised fixture at Sekhukhune United. For Dlamini, that would just be fortuitous, aiming to win the game for themselves rather than doing Matsatsantsa a favour.

“We are not in the business of doing other people favours. We are a professional team,  so we can’t be thinking about doing other teams favours. I don’t think there’s ever been a team who’s done us any favours. We go into this game aiming for a win to make sure we finish the season on a high note, nothing else,” Dlamini insisted.

Dlamini is Usuthu’s third coach this season after the club fired Brandon Truter and moved Romain Folz to a technical director role. Cobra is adamant their dreadful form has nothing to do with the coaching changes.

“I think changing coaches has nothing to do with our current struggles. We just lost the games we shouldn’t have lost,” Dlamini noted.

Meanwhile, Usuthu defender Thembela Sikhakhane wants Usuthu to win the game against his former side Pirates for their fans, implying that would restore their dignity as a club. “As you know our season wasn’t good, so it’s important for us to wrap things up with a win to make our fans proud. We are playing for our dignity. We want to fight for the club’s badge,” Sikhakhane noted.