Orlando Pirates defender Olisah Ndah believes his side is capable of closing the 10-point gap separating them from Mamelodi Sundowns at the summit of the DSTV Premiership.
The Buccaneers ended the first round of the season in seventh place, one point ahead of bitter rivals Kaizer Chiefs. Having played two games more than the league leaders, The Sea Robbers have a slight disadvantage in their quest to dethrone Downs, the reigning league champions.
“The gap is 10 points, and we have around 15 games to play. I really don’t think the league is over yet. Ten points is really nothing. Maybe if it were like two or three games left, I’d have said it’s over for us,” Ndah said in an interview with Sowetan.
Ndah sees the second round of the season as an opportunity to do better. The Sea Robbers will begin their Nedbank Cup title defense when the league resumes, with the dreadlocked defender declaring the need to retain the trophy.
“We didn’t finish the first round of the season the way we would have wanted, but we have the second round to redeem ourselves. We still have a lot to fight for, including the Nedbank Cup. It will take a lot of focus and dedication from us to give it a real go in both the league and the Nedbank Cup. We are ready for that,” Ndah said.
Ndah, 26, returned to action in the MTN 8 final triumph over Sundowns in September 2023 after missing the early part of the season due to a knee injury. The defender won back the favor of coach Jose Riveiro and started in all the league games since October. His return has coincided with a return to form for the side, which had been leaking easy goals earlier in the campaign.
Ndah credits his psychological edge and the club’s physiotherapists for helping him deal with the trauma caused by the injury.
“It was more like a mindset thing. I didn’t let the injury weigh me down, and the team, especially the physios, helped me a lot, particularly Mr. [John] Williams, who’s one of the club’s physios,” Ndah said.
