Photo Credit - Orlando Pirates Media.
Despite Orlando Pirates dropping vital points in their pursuit for the Betway Premiership title following a 0-0 draw against Stellenbosch FC, coach Jose Riveiro set a new landmark as he took charge of his 120th game for the Soweto giants.
In the fixture at Athlone Stadium, the Buccaneers slumped to a disappointing result despite the Stellies playing with 10-men after Kenyan defender Brian Mandela was sent off.
The outcome from the fixture denied Pirates a great chance to inch closer to the top of the 16-team league standings in their bid to narrow the gap between themselves and the table-topping Mamelodi Sundowns.
In their fourth straight away fixture, Riveiro’s charges were looking to add a third consecutive win as they returned to league football after a successful cup outing over the weekend. They were not immediately able to find cohesion at Athlone with the home side looking the more threatening of the two throughout the first 10 minutes.
While the draw was a difficult one to take for Pirates, the fixture marked Riveiro as the longest-serving coach, surpassing Ruud Krol’s previous record of 119 games at the helm.
“Well, it’s been a long run, obviously. It’s just a number, but obviously when you have a look at that number, you know how much dedication is behind, how much time and sacrifices,” said Riveiro as quoted by FARPost.
“I’m not going to say I’m proud of myself because I’m not doing this alone. For coaches in our positions to stay in a club for a period of 120 games…I’m about to finish my third season here at Pirates. It looks normal, but it’s not.
“So, I have to say thank you to the management of the club for being patient with me, with the coaching staff, with all of us to, year after year, keep growing as a team and as a group. Probably, I cannot give the real value or the meaning of those 120 games. But let’s go for more.”
Since joining Pirates, Riveiro won three consecutive MTN8 titles, and has lifted the Nedbank Cup twice. Pirates are currently chasing for the third as they are in the semi-finals.
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