Orlando Pirates striker Ndumiso Mabena has opened up on the impact of departed striker coach Scott Chickelday, who was working at the club on a consultancy basis.
Chickelday was roped in to address Pirates' problems in the final third and there has been visible improvement from the first half of the season. In the first 15 DStv Premiership matches of the season, the Buccaneers netted 10 times, but they have already banged in 11 goals in the five matches played in the second round of the campaign.
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That's a sign of a side that has improved drastically in front of goal, with players showing a lot more confidence and composure in the final third, as compared to the first half of the season.
Chickelday may not be at Pirates anymore, but Mabena says they have absorbed enough knowledge from the expert, and feels that the time was adequate, which is why the club has not gone back to their old ways of struggling to rattle the back of the net.
"He added a lot of value in the attacking third. With all the goals that we scored when he was around, it was what we were doing at training. Set pieces, finishing...it's those drills we do at training. He is gone now, but we are still continuing with scoring. We have learnt a lot from him," Mabena told media during the Soweto derby press conference at Vodacom World in Midrand, Johannesburg, on Monday.
"As matured as we are, a month was enough for us because we are still scoring. We have not forgotten what we learnt from him. We are still scoring goals."
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The Buccaneers head into this weekend's Soweto derby against Kaizer Chiefs high in confidence, with the likes of Terrence Dzvukamanja and Monnapule Saleng capable of tearing the opposition defence apart.
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