Orbit College coach Pogiso Makhoye has called for composure from his players ahead of their decisive PSL Promotional Playoff clash against Cape Town City.
Orbit now sits atop the playoff standings with five points after three matches. A home victory at Olympia Park in Rustenburg will see them seal a historic promotion to the Betway Premiership.
Meanwhile, Cape Town City, who sit second, will need at least a point on Wednesday to stay in contention before finishing their campaign against Casric on June 30 at Cape Town Stadium.
Saturday’s game seemed headed for another stalemate between Orbit and Casric until Lethabo Modimoeng netted a late winner 10 minutes from time – Orbit’s first-ever victory over Casric in six attempts.
Speaking to SuperSport TV after the match, Makhoye remained grounded, stressing the importance of staying calm under pressure.
“We need to remain calm. When things are going well, you just need to stay calm. We mustn’t overreact because we have a big game coming up on Wednesday,” he said.
“It’s there for the taking. For now, we’ll let them celebrate – it’s our first time beating Casric in the Motsepe Foundation Championship – but we need to stay humble and focused.”
Makhoye also credited his team for executing their tactical approach effectively and praised their defensive solidity, with the team keeping a third clean sheet in the round-robin format.
“It was always the plan. We said we weren’t here to play pretty football because of the pitch. We’ve never conceded in these playoffs except the last game. Today, we had a shot on target, and it went in.”
The coach also singled out Orlando Pirates loanee Siyabulela Mabele for his impact in the match.
“Mabele got a big opportunity, and we knew he’d deliver. He’s been one of the top performers in this team.”
Orbit are now one win away from making history – and Makhoye is urging his team to stay grounded as the finish line approaches.