If there is one lesson that Young Pirates head coach Roger Fortune has taken from life in the SAFA Cape Town Third Division, it is the importance of hitting the ground running.
“The start to a new campaign is very important,” Fortune told No Bones with Jones. “And our start last season wasn’t good, if I can be honest. We ended the second half of last season with an unbeaten run – out of the 20 games, we had only two draws and no losses…
“So, we need to pick up that momentum when we start the new campaign. Our first game is against Ashford Athletic, so it’s going to be a lekker competitive game and we have to be ready at all costs,” he added.
Despite the disappointment of their recent cup setback where they were booted out by eventual finalists Wanderers FC, Fortune is satisfied with the way preparations are progressing ahead of their league opener against the Cape District Football Association’s Nedbank Cup champions.
According to the 46-year-old Pirates mentor, his squad remains largely intact from last season’s impressive debut campaign, although there have been a few changes in personnel.
“The squad is shaping up okay,” said Fortune. “We have quite a few new young player that. We lost four players in the process, though, and another six are currently involved in the LFA playoffs taking place later this month. They will be back after those playoffs, so we have to proceed without their services for now.”
Pirates made a positive impression in their maiden Third Division season, establishing themselves as one of the league’s most difficult teams to beat. Their remarkable consistency saw them go the entire second half of the season unbeaten, recording 18 victories and two draws from 20 matches.
Now, with another season on the horizon, Fortune hopes his side can build on those foundations and take another step forward in what promises to be a fiercely contested league campaign.
However, Fortune is fully aware that any ambitions of improvement will depend heavily on how his side negotiates the opening weeks of the season.
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