Orlando Pirates draw highlights void left by Jose Riveiro exit

The Buccaneers bid the Spanish mentor farewell last week by thumping Golden Arrows 3-0, but failed to carry that winning momentum when TS Galaxy clawed their way back to hold them to a 1-1 draw four days later. 

Ncikazi has now taken over alongside head of performance Ryaan Jacobs to see things out while the hunt for a successor continues. 

He admits it’s possible the players were still reeling from Riveiro’s exit. 

"With this kind of result, a lot goes through your mind, and you start to wonder what could've been. Jose Riveiro had a massive impact in this club, and I thought the players might want to celebrate his time here with a good performance in this match," said the disheartened coach. 

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Pirates are guaranteed to finish runners-up behind champions Mamelodi Sundowns despite still being three matches behind. 

Ncikazi was asked if he thought the players had already checked out. 

"There could've been many factors that contributed to what happened today, but we are professionals, we are paid to train, so the players must always be ready.

"Even if we are playing for nothing, you still have the club, the sponsors, the bench, and yourself to respect," said Ncikazi. 

The caretaker coach also suggested he would not be implementing any drastic changes at Pirates, preferring to continue where Riveiro left off. 

On allowing Galaxy to fight back and leave with a point, Ncikazi felt Pirates were just not at the races on Saturday afternoon.