‘Bucs’ end 11-year trophy drought

(At Mavuso Sports Centre)

M. Pirates ………………(1)1

Senanelo 33^rd

M. Highlanders ………(0)1

Phila 55^th

(Pirates won 4-2 on penalties)

MANZINI – Moneni Pirates ended an agonising 11-year wait for silverware after beating Mbabane Highlanders AM 4-2 on penalties in the 8Bet Trade Fair Cup final on Sunday.

The Buccaneers held their nerve in the shoot-out after the two sides had played to a 1-1 draw before more than 3 000 supporters at Mavuso Sports Centre.

The triumph ended Pirates’ longest trophy drought in recent history, with their previous major success coming 11 years ago when they beat Manzini Wanderers by 2-0 to win the 2015 SwaziBank (now EswatiniBank) Cup.

The ‘Buccaneers’ had come close to ending the wait two seasons when they reached the Ingwenyama Cup final, only to suffer a 1-0 defeat to Royal Leopard.

This time, Pirates made no mistake when the opportunity arrived, overcoming Highlanders in a dramatic penalty shoot-out. The final also featured two clubs with lengthy histories in the Trade Fair Cup.

Highlanders were appearing in the final for the second time since the return of the Trade Fair Cup, having previously reached the showpiece in 2006, when they lost 4-3 to Manzini Sundowns.

The ‘Bull’ were also chasing their first trophy since 2019, when they defeated Manzini Wanderers 3-1 in the Charity Cup.

Pirates eventually broke the deadlock in the 33^rd minute when Senanelo Nkambule calmly slotted home to put the Buccaneers 1-0 ahead.

Highlanders responded strongly after the interval and were rewarded 10 minutes into the second half when Phila Dlamini unleashed a powerful volley beyond Ayikwei to make it 1-1.

Both sides had opportunities to settle the contest, but neither could find a winner as the match went into a penalty shoot-out.

Pirates were more composed from the spot, with Highlanders’ Ndumiso Mabuza seeing his penalty saved before Simphiwe Cele sent his effort over the crossbar.

Mthokozisi Hlatjwako converted the decisive kick to spark wild celebrations and finally bring the 11-year wait to an end.

The victory was also a major milestone for Coach Selaotse ‘Sly’ Mosala, who joined Pirates after coaching Highlanders last season.

The final, therefore, pitted Mosala against his former club, with Highlanders now coached by fellow South African Floyd ‘Mourinho’ Mogale.

Both coaches have backgrounds in South African football. Mosala has worked with Black Leopards, University of Pretoria, Casric FC and Sekhukhune United, while Mogale has worked in different capacities with Mamelodi Sundowns and had coaching spells involving Black Leopards, Royal AM, Chippa United and Free State Stars.

While the trophy belonged to Pirates, the Buccaneers also dominated the individual awards, underlining their superiority throughout the tournament.

Sibandze was the biggest individual winner, claiming the Player of the Series award worth E12 000 and sharing the Top Goalscorer prize of E9 000 with Muzi Tsabedze and Nkosivumile Zulu.

The shared top-scorer prize means Sibandze earned E15 000 in one night.

Pirates goalkeeper Ayikwei was named Best Goalkeeper, earning E9 000, while Mosala emerged as Best Coach and received E9 000.

Club PRO Meluleki ‘Sluga’ Simelane also won the Best PRO award worth E6 000.

Pirates’ dominance was reflected in the overall prize haul, with the champions collecting E660 000; Highlanders receiving E340 000 as runners-up; Young Buffaloes taking E100 000 for third place; and Green Mamba earning E45 000 for fourth.

After 11 years of waiting, Pirates finally had another major trophy to celebrate and they did so while sweeping much of the tournament’s individual silverware.