Tembo stresses goals ahead of Pirates clash

Richards Bay FC coach Kaitano Tembo has urged his side to bury their goal scoring chances as the Natal Rich Boyz prepare to take on Orlando Pirates in the DStv Premiership at the King Zwelithini Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Kick-off is at 3:30pm (SA, GMT+2)

The Natal Rich Boyz are among the worst performing teams in the league during the 2023/24 campaign and currently occupy 15th spot on the table.

Tembo’s side accumulated just nine points from 12 matches played so far, bagging two wins and three draws along the way.

In fact, Richards Bay go into their next game on the back of a morale boosting 1-0 win over Cape Town Spurs, with Thato Mohlamme’s 72nd minute effort separating the two sides earlier this month.

With the Pirates clash in mind, Tembo has stressed the importance of scoring the first goal against Pirates, with the view of putting themselves in a position where chasing the game is not needed.

“Scoring is the most important thing, Tembo said.

“When you score goals, you can be able to manage the game, you can be able to protect [the goals scored] knowing that you have something in there, but when you are always chasing the game, then that becomes a problem.

“So playing against Pirates, I think we need to try and score first and be able to manage the game. Even if they score first, it’s a cup game.”

Despite much success in Cup competitions this season, Pirates struggled to yield positive results on a consistent basis in the DStv Premiership.

However, the Soweto giants recently recorded two wins on the trot for the first time this season, with their 1-0 victory over Kaizer Chiefs in the Soweto Derby being one of their most notable results of the current campaign.

Sitting in 7th spot on the log, Pirates bagged a