Appollis not interested in the noise, just wants to help Pirates win trophies

A man of a few words, Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana attacker Oswin Appollis prefers to do his talking on the pitch and is not interested in the frills that come with being a professional footballer.

Amid the noise, he keeps calm and focused on his job of helping the Buccaneers win matches and trophies, and that mission continues on Saturday at Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, where they take on Marumo Gallants in the Carling Knockout final (6pm).

Pirates have already lifted the MTN8 trophy this season, and they are looking for their second piece of silverware against a highly unpredictable Gallants capable of causing a major upset.

Bafana Bafana’s emerging wing star Appollis has had a good start to the season for Pirates, with four goals and six assists in 21 matches in all competitions. He will again be one of the crucial players for coach Abdeslam Ouaddou in the cup final.

Asked about his time at Pirates since he joined them from Polokwane City in the off-season, Appollis — named this week in the Bafana squad for the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Morocco, which starts on December 21 — said he knows he is a work in progress.

“There is a lot of work still to be done on my part, but my teammates are helping me. I just have to continue doing my job,” he said, adding he is benefiting from the class of player and coaching staff around him at Betway Premiership title-chasing Bucs.

“Because of the quality Pirates have in the team, I have improved as a person and player, and I am not the only one who is improving. I can mention players such as Relebohile Mofokeng, ‘Sphola’ [Sipho Mbule] and Tshepang Moremi.”

Playing for a big club such as Pirates comes with pressure, but Appollis said he blocks out the noise. “I am working hard and focused on my job to help the team win matches. I don’t focus on other things.”

Appollis played a few minutes as a future prospect when Bafana had their best finish of third place at the Afcon last year. He goes to Morocco as a regular starter and star attacker who is fast entering the ranks of national coach Hugo Broos’ senior players.

“At the previous Afcon in the Ivory Coast I was sitting on the bench and wanted to play, but I knew I was new in the national team. But I was always motivating other players.

“When I got my minutes, I was happy because it is one of the big tournaments,” he said, advising the two young players included in the present squad, Tylon Smith and Shandre Campbell, to bide their time and learn.

“My advice to Shandre and Smith is they will get their opportunity; they just have to be patient.”

Appollis has a long history with Mbule going back to their youth football days.

“We came from SuperSport United, and we created a small bond. When I went to Polokwane City, he always checked up on me to see if I was OK.

“He has always been fun, and the one thing people don’t know about him is he likes playing Fifa [the computer game]. He has always been a bubbly character.”