WANDERERS, PIRATES PROMISE FIREWORKS

MBABANE – It’s always fireworks when Moneni Pirates and Manzini Wanderers clash.

The Mavuso Sports Centre will be a hive of activity, come Saturday afternoon, when these two teams cross swords in the 10th week of the MTN Premier League.  The mouth-watering match will kick off at 2:30pm. Both teams welcomed the new year with victories in their 2022 opening fixtures. Pirates shocked log leaders Royal Leopard, beating them 3-2 to break their unbeaten record while Manzini Wanderers cemented their dominance over fellow Hub team Denver Sundowns with a 2-0 win.

Beforehand, Manzini Wanderers edged Vovovo 3-2 and the Buccaneers of Moneni bagged three solid points from a 2-1 win over Green Mamba in the final 2021 games played on December 29. The last time these two teams went head to head in the past season was in week nine and 29. In their first round match played on April 24, they settled for a draw with Malibongwe Malinga scoring for Moneni Pirates in the half our mark and Wanderers retaliated to level matters six minutes later through Majahesibili Ndlovu. In their second round, the battle of these titans ended in a goalless draw at KaLanga Technical Centre on August 7, 2021.

must-win

Moneni Pirates Chief Executive Officer Puma Simelane said this was a must-win match for his side as they targeted the top four limelight. He urged football lovers and supporters of both teams to come in numbers to witness the game as this derby was a way of bringing back fans into the stadiums through vaccination. He further rebuked rowdy behaviour ahead of the match but encouraged decent conduct and peaceful interaction between supporters of the clubs regardless of the end result. “We are on 15 points and they have 17. We have to win at all costs for us to get in the top four. We are on a mission of rebuilding the team. We have been playing with a thin squad in the absence of key players, including the captain who is still recovering from an illness,” Simelane said.

Manzini Wanderers’ Public Relations Officer (PRO) Mlungisi Ndzinisa said his team was equally up for the challenge. “We are coming with a full squad ready for victory. My emphasis is on the supporters to maintain peace at all costs. Let us do away with the primitive mindset of violence in stadiums. You are a supporter because you have to support your team at all times and distance yourself from administrative issues. Football is a sportsmen thing and I wish for a time where we can share stands and watch football together in peace,” Ndzinisa said.

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