United, Bucs set to light up Woodburn

Published Apr 8, 2009

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Lights, cameras and all-out action it will be when Maritzburg United take on Orlando Pirates in an Absa Premiership clash at Woodburn Stadium in Pietermaritzburg on Wednesday night.

Having dipped into their own pocket to have the stadium lights upgraded to broadcast quality, Maritzburg can expect a full-house crowd to get behind them when the title-chasing Pirates come to town.

Generally clashes of this nature are shifted by the PSL to Durban or Chatsworth for safety reasons, as was the case when Maritzburg beat the other Soweto giants, Kaizer Chiefs, 3-2 at Chatsworth Stadium in the first round.

The capacity for the match has been limited to 8 000, from the maximum 10 000, for safety reasons.

Previous matches, which Maritzburg were forced to host in the afternoon because of the poor lighting, cost the club potential revenue from gate-takings.

That won't be a problem after the main grandstand tickets were sold out earlier in the week.

Playing in cooler night conditions should also help both teams turn in better performances.

The home side are minus suspended striker Brice Aka and injured midfielder Justice Sithole, although the positive vibe from their five-match winning run in league and cup outings should somewhat compensate for that.

The pressure of avoiding relegation has also been eased, with Maritzburg 11 points ahead of bottom side Bay United, who host Chiefs on Wednesday night.

In fact, Maritzburg will be mathematically clear of automatic relegation if they beat the "Buccaneers" and Bay collect no more than a point against Chiefs.

Pressure could instead be felt more strongly in the Pirates camp, believes Maritzburg team manager Quinton Jettoo.

"We're simply taking it one game at a time. First it's Pirates and then once that's over we'll turn our attention to the Nedbank Cup quarter-final clash away to Moroka Swallows over the weekend.

"The top eight is also not a factor. As much as we'd like to finish in the top eight, realistically it's not in our hands. Much of it depends on how other teams perform.

"There will be a whole lot more pressure on Pirates. They know they've got to win at all costs to stay in touch with SuperSport."

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