The Buccaneers have found the compass to take themselves out of the depths of despair they have loitered in for the most part of this season and return to the heights they are used to.
But finding the compass is half the job done, they still have a lot of distance to cover before they see familiar surroundings.
The point they got from here still sees them just six points ahead of the side at the bottom. But how they have been playing lately will give those associated with the club confidence that talks of being drawn into the relegation scramble, bizarre as it sounds, will end soon.
The same can’t be said for the Lions of the North even though they moved from the bottom to 15th place, pushing fellow rookies Baroka FC down. Highlands have a mammoth task ahead of them in their fight for survival.
It’s easy to determine how well the Buccaneers are playing, you just need to listen to how loud the Ghost chant Ace whenever Oupa Manyisa has the ball.
During the club’s slump those chants were either whispered or not there at all with Manyisa a shadow of his former self after the injury that kept him out of action for almost nine months.
The Buccaneers’ heartbeat has found himself and the club’s pulse is once again calmly beating, unlike the nervous state it has been under.
The presence of Harold “Jazzy Queen” Legodi in the club’s technical team, the man who nurtured Manyisa’s talent, has played a role in the rebirth of the Pirates’ captain.
Manyisa covered almost every inch of this ground. He lulled Highlands’ defenders by strolling with the ball before he burst into action like he has done in wins over Free State Stars in the Nedbank Cup and Maritzburg United in the league.
Even Issa Sarr raised his game. While the Buccaneers looked at Manyisa for inspiration, the hosts relied on Surprise Moriri.
The veteran midfielder came in handy with his super power of freezing time with his deceiving body language. But his team didn’t benefit from that because he had to pass to mortals like Peter Shalulile who aren’t at his level.
That resulted in the club hardly testing Siyabonga Mpontshane. Highlands didn’t mind sitting back, looking to catch Pirates on a counter.
It was a risky move because of the club’s woeful defence, the worst in the league. The Lions of the North came into this match having kept just two clean sheets in 23 matches. That caused a lot of nervous moments for Tapuwa Kapini in goal. The Zimbabwean used his experience to slow the game by being “injured” as Pirates found their rhythm.
Surviving relegation with such a miserable defence would be miracle only comparable to waking up from the dead. Gordon Igesund has done it before with Moroka Swallows, even going as far as almost winning the league with them after their resurrection.
But this time around his magic wand has lost its spark. He has failed to turn things around at Highlands despite having a number of experienced players, the type of players that Igesund does well with. With each passing match Highlands move closer to returning to the first division along with Baroka.
That would be s pity for the people of Tembisa and Ekurhuleni as a whole as they have embraced Highlands.
Last night they filled this stadium to capacity and even though a large part of the crowd backed Pirates, a decent number of them were behind Highlands – something they could soon be robbed of doing in the Premier Division. - TMG Digital
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