Kaizer Chiefs determined to bounce back against Orlando Pirates – Cross

Photo Credit – Kaizer Chiefs Media.

Kaizer Chiefs defender Bradly Cross has promised their fans a quick response from their shock defeat against Marumo Gallants when they take on Orlando Pirates in a Betway Premiership Soweto derby at FNB Stadium on Saturday.

Amakhosi suffered a 2-1 defeat against Gallants to remain winless in the top-flight from the last six outings. The last win for Chiefs in the league came on March 4 when they edged out Magesi 1-0. Since then, they have gone for six matches without a win.

After Magesi, the drew 0-0 against Cape Town City, suffered a 2-0 defeat against Richards Bay, went down 2-1 against Golden Arrows, drew 1-1 against TS Galaxy, drew 0-0 against Chippa United before the 2-1 defeat against Gallants.

“[The loss to Gallants] was a bad result. We all feel like we didn’t play to the best of our abilities, but that is behind us now and we are looking forward to the game on the weekend,” said Cross as quoted by the club’s official website.

“It is a huge occasion and to be part of the Derby has been an ambition of mine, so if I get to play in my first Derby on Saturday, I’ll consider it a big achievement for me, personally.

“It will be a dream come true to play in the Soweto Derby. It’s the biggest match in the country by miles and I have watched it since I was young. Players such as Siphiwe Tshabalala doing his thing have stuck in my memory, and hopefully I get to experience it on the weekend.”

On whether Pirates were favourites heading into the derby, Cross said: “Obviously, they have been doing well recently. We respect them as opponents and acknowledge their ability but I feel we need to focus more on ourselves and getting to where we want to be. That’s the mentality we are taking into the game. We expect them to come in with confidence and we want to match that from our side.

“There is no form book when it comes to the Soweto Derby. Everyone give their absolute best and anything can happen on the day. One thing I can promise our fans is that we will leave everything out there in an effort to get the win and their support will help us a lot. We need them there to drive us on and hopefully they will push us over the line and we can all go home smiling.”

He concluded: “You just have to block out all the noise and focus on what you have to do. It’s our job, at the end of the day. My family are all around and they support me, which means a lot to me, but you can’t allow any distractions to interfere with the objective.”

This will be the 58th derby league meeting between the teams since 1996/97. In the clubs’ previous 57 league clashes since the start of the PSL era, Chiefs have won 18, while Pirates have managed 15, and 24 have ended all square.