Lucky Lekgwathi
Orlando Pirates skipper Lucky Lekgwathi says it will be third time lucky for his side in the Telkom Knockout final against Bidvest Wits.
The Buccaneers lost the 2008/09 and 2010/11 finals of the competition to Ajax Cape Town (1-2) and Kaizer Chiefs (0-3) respectively, and have also lost four other finals in this competition under its previous guises. They have yet to taste success in the 30-year history of the tournament.
“This will be our third Telkom Knockout final, having lost the first two against Ajax in 2008 and Kaizer Chiefs last year. We can’t have that again,” Lekgwathi says. “I think we also need to put history to bed and focus on winning this cup for our supporters and our injured player Happy Jele.”
Pirates were roundly beaten 3-1 by Wits in a League clash just a few weeks ago, but Lekgwathi says they were under-strength that day through suspensions and injury, and this will be a different story on Saturday.
“Benni McCarthy, Andile Jali, Rueben Cloete and I were not part of the league defeat to Wits two weeks ago,” he says. “We are back to add depth tomorrow and also prove why Pirates had the best defence in the league last season when we won the Premier League.”
Pirates have already won the MTN8 this season after beating Chiefs in the final and have now reached their fifth domestic cup final in a row, winning three of the previous four.