After advancing to the semi-finals of the Telkom Knockout on Saturday, Orlando Pirates coach Milutin Sredojevic has admitted that he has heard the fans’ demands and aims to end their four-year trophy drought.
The Soweto giants last lifted silverware when they won the Nedbank Cup in the 2013-14 season but have since gone through a rough patch following the dismantlement of that successful Pirates team.
That success came under Serbian coach Vladimir Vermezovic, who took advantage of the remainder of the 2011-12 treble-winning team built by Ruud Krol, but since then Eric Tinkler, Muhsin Ertugral, Augusto Palacios and Kjell Jonevert all tried and failed to bring smiles to the fans by winning a trophy.
☠ We came. We played. We’re through.💪🏽⚽️
🎙 Man of the Match: Thembinkosi Lorch
🎙 Xola Mlambo
⚫⚪🔴⭐#TKO2018#OnceAlways pic.twitter.com/WCoS1UCIho— Orlando Pirates FC (@orlandopirates) November 3, 2018
Sredojevic, on the other hand, has made it his mission to steer the Buccaneers to their first piece of silverware since 2014 and admitted after his side beat AmaZulu in the TKO quarter-finals that he wants to feed the souls of the passionate Pirates fans, an analogy he has used on a number of occasions so far this season.
‘In order to prepare the team [for the match against AmaZulu] we have had to lift the spirit and the players have obliged,’ the Serbian told SuperSport TV.
‘We have seen the love of our supporters, we are hearing their prayers and we are hearing their demands and we want to as much as possible feed their souls which are thirsty and hungry for Pirates wins.’
Photo: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix
