Young Pirates were crowned as champions of the SAFA Cape Town-run SAB League in the 2018/2019 season after beating Two Oceans 2-1 at a packed Heideveld Sports Complex on Saturday.
The win lifted Pirates to the top of the log standings after Matroosfontein, who went into the last round of fixtures two points clear, stumbled to a 2-0 defeat to Cape Town City at Malta Park Sports Complex. Hanover Park, who were level with Pirates on points heading to the weekend, also crashed to a 1-2 loss to Greenwood Athletic.
With the news coming in the dying minutes of the game that their title rivals were trailing, Pirates defended tirelessly and their goalkeeper made a crucial save as Oceans searched for a late equalizer to cause an upset. And when the last whistle was blown fans went into a frenzy to storm the pitch and celebrate with players and team management.
Pirates’ owner Ricardo Daniels, who had told Capeat6Sport in April that their dream was to play in the National First Division (Read here), could not hide his happiness. “Phase Two of our dream is complete and we still have two more phases going forward. This is a big achievement for myself, a person from Strand working in a community like Heideveld. And this means a lot for the community of Heideveld as you can see the supporters. This is the second stepping stone for the dream that we have for this club and for my football career.”
Asked about the effects of the disciplinary cases in the past weeks (Read here) on his team, Daniels said he had to bring in the services of a psychologist and a motivational speaker to keep his team focus. “Remember that on a Tuesday were top of the log and on a Wednesday we were second. And that dropped the morale of team to low levels. It cost us to ensure that our minds are not focused on the cases because at the end of the day that is not the way to win the game of football. You win it on the pitch. And these boys deserve the league title.”
Pirates captain Antonio Thomas was lost for words: “I can’t explain the feeling we have right now. It’s all about the character, togetherness, communication and hard work throughout the season. Hard work pays off at the end of the day and we are champions today. And credit must go to the coach, my teammates, the technical staff, management and the supporters. Our supporters have been with us come rain and come sunshine. They have always been the 12th men for the team.”
Pirates will now represent the Cape Town region in the ABC Motsepe League play-offs.
Meanwhile, Kuils River and Bayview FC finished the season in the basement and have been relegated to the local football association level, subject to the outcome of the arbitration cases that were set to be heard at the weekend. Watch this space.
