Orlando Pirates coach Eric Tinkler has made a passionate plea to the fans who will fill Orlando Stadium tonight for the club’s CAF Confederation Cup final, first leg clash with Etoile du Sahel.
The mentor, who has had to continuously prove his worth to the Ghost, has called on them to make Sahel uncomfortable – and not him or his players, as they do when things don’t go their way.
“It is a matter of pride for us, this is an opportunity of a lifetime,” Tinkler said.
“We need to end this great journey on a positive note, make the country and ultimately Pirates fans proud. But the fans must also play their part. We need their backing and support.
“It’s very important, even if the team start poorly, that they get behind us because the players need that confidence.
“It shouldn’t only come from us on the technical team and the bench because when we go to Tunisia their fans will be behind them. It’s a hostile environment with all the lasers they shine on the ball and in the players’ faces.
“We will face that when we get there, so they must face something similar when they’re here. Rather they (Pirates fans) express their anger towards them, not us.”
The tournament has seen the mentor wear a number of different faces, ranging from calm and serene to barking mad. He was calm, wearing a warm smile on top of the jacket he had on to fend off the cold, on the eve of the Buccaneers’ clash with AS Kaloum of Guinea in June in the play-off round.
Returning to Milpark, a place he called home for decades first as a player and then as coach at Bidvest Wits, warmed his spirits along with being 90 minutes away from being only the third coach to lead a South African side to the group stage of this tournament.
The players gave him more reason to smile the following day with a resounding performance to smash Kaloum 4-1.
But on the eve of the group clash with AC Leopards he was barking mad, the media daring to question how the club would react to having only one goalkeeper on the bench.
Felipe Ovono has been the club’s lone goalkeeper since August after Brighton Mhlongo picked up an ACL injury, with only the two registered for the tournament.
But that didn’t affect them, with Pirates once again giving Tinkler something to celebrate by beating the stubborn Congolese 2-0 and going all the way to the final.
He doesn’t have such problems this time around with Mhlongo back, likely to start on the bench, while Sifiso Myeni and Happy Jele are fit.
However, he might be tempted to rest Jele, who is one booking away from suspension.
The players who did international duty all looked sharp in yesterday’s training session with everyone trying to get into the starting XI.
But in an encounter where both coaches have looked at each other extensively, a “secret weapon” to come off the bench and change the match will be needed.
“Everyone sees this as a massive opportunity. The unity has been good. It has been that way throughout the competition. That’s something I can’t fault the players on. That’s what has seen us get to where we’re at. That’s why we have done so well on the road, the unity has been fantastic.” - Saturday Star