Don’t pop the Champagne yet - Lucky

The sight of Orlando Pirates topping the Absa Premiership standings may thrill their fans, but Lucky Lekgwathi on Monday cautioned that celebrations should only be started once the job is done.

“I have the painful experience of losing three league titles on the last day of the season,” Lekgwathi, the Pirates captain, said on Tuesday.

It is little wonder, then, that he’s not too excited about the Buccaneers occupying the summit for the second week running, after first taking over from Mamelodi Sundowns thanks to that comeback victory over BIDVest Wits.

Pirates now sit two points clear at the top, and many will expect them to remain there after Wednesday’s matches, where they face Vasco Da Gama (Orlando Stadium, 8pm), even though key midfielder Andile Jali is suspended.

But it is lifting the trophy at the end of the campaign that counts, something that Lek-gwathi has come within a whisker of doing three times, having to watch title rivals celebrate on the final day instead.

“It first happened when we were neck-and-neck with Kaizer Chiefs (in 2004/05). I remember they were playing in Bloemfontein (against Celtic) and we needed to score many goals and hope they lose. It didn’t happen and they took the league.

“The following year it was Mamelodi Sundowns, whom we needed to beat by six goals in the last match to win the title, and it was impossible. It happened again when we were vying for the title against SuperSport United (in 2008/09) and we lost the title on goal difference on the last day. This is something I don’t want to experience ever again,” Lekgwathi said.

Pirates’ title credentials will be truly put to the test this month, as they have to play all three of their championship rivals. They face Sundowns on February 12, travel to Ajax Cape Town (February 16) and then host Chiefs in the Soweto Derby at the end of the month (February 26).

“It will be a tough month, for sure, but we’ll be more focused on what is before us … taking it one game at a time. Right now, we are more worried about Vasco, then it is Black Aces (on Sunday). But it is true that if we beat our main rivals, it should help our cause big time.”

Lekgwathi lauded Pirates’ newfound courage in turning around their fortunes following two disastrous defeats to Chiefs late last year. Pirates have since won six of their past eight matches to climb up the log, and not even the departure of Teko Modise or the lengthy injury to Daine Klate has deterred them.

“The commitment from the guys has been unbelievable. We have young guys who have come into the team, understanding that Pirates is not made up of only 11 players. Players like (Robyn) Johannes, (Oupa) Manyisa and (Mark) Mayambela – initially they were not playing, but now they have been able to keep their places in the team. You can’t even notice that Klate is out.”

Lekgwathi warned his teammates not to take Vasco lightly in tomorrow’s encounter. “We lost to Aces (in October) because we thought they would be easy. We need to guard against that. We may have beaten Vasco in their backyard in the first round, but the fact is they are in the top eight now and can be dangerous.”

Fixtures

Wednesday (7.30pm unless stated): Celtic v Ajax, Seisa Ramabodu Stadium; SuperSport v Wits, Loftus Versfeld; Santos v FS Stars, Athlone; Arrows v Chiefs, Moses Mabhida Stadium; Maritzburg v AmaZulu, Harry Gwala Stadium; Platinum Stars v Aces, Royal Bafokeng; Pirates v Vasco, Orlando, 8pm; Swallows v Sundowns, Mbombela, 8pm

Saturday (3.30pm unless stated): AmaZulu v Platinum Stars, Moses Mabhida; FS Stars v Arrows, Goble Park; Ajax v SuperSport, Cape Town Stadium; Chiefs v Swallows, FNB, 8.15pm; Maritzburg v Celtic, Harry Gwala Stadium, 8.15pm

Sunday: Wits v Vasco, BIDVest Stadium; Aces v Pirates, Mbombela Stadium; Sundowns v Santos, Lucas Moripe Stadium - The Star