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ERNEST QUITS SUNDOWNS FOR PIRATES

16/11/2017 08:48:00 BY SANELE JELE

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MANZINI- As the ever-swinging coaching revolving door gathers momentum, Moneni Pirates have pulled a rabbit out of the hat with the appointment of former Manzini Sundowns coach Enerst Mavuso as their new coach.

The soft-spoken mentor was unveiled yesterday at The George Hotel as the replacement for Zenzele ‘Ace’ Dlamini, who the club said resigned in the media. Mavuso joined Manzini Sundowns at the start of the season, and managed to steer them into the top eight with one game left before the curtain falls for the MTN Premier League first round. The former Mbabane Highlanders mentor will lead the ‘Sea Robbers’ until the end of the season. This was revealed by the club’s CEO Thami Dlamini in a press conference at The George Hotel yesterday. “We are here to announce that Ernest Mavuso is our new coach and he will be assisted by Bheki Simelane. Brian Magagula will be the team manager. We trust the three will lead the team into great heights. “They have been given until the end of the season but the contract is renewable. Their contracts, depending on the performance, will be renewed at the end of the season,” Dlamini said.

The CEO further said they wanted to thank ‘Ace’ for leading the team up to this far. ‘Ace’ joined the Buccaneers in 2016/2017 season and he managed to finish the season with the club in the top four bracket. He resigned two weeks ago after losing 2-1 to Matsapha United. The former Young Buffaloes mentor has only managed four wins, three draws and has lost five times this season and the team is perched on the 10th spot. “Look ‘Ace’ is a top coach, he managed to transform this team into playing good football and further lead it to the top four last season. “We respect him and we appreciate what he has done for the team. We do hope that whenever we need his help we will consult because we value him as a coach,” the CEO said.

He further pleaded with Pirates fans to be patient with the team. “We urge them to support the new technical bench. We also plead with them to refrain from violence or any behaviour that can tarnish the name of the team. We are building an empire here and we will ask for their support and cooperation,” he added. Moneni Pirates will face Mbabane Highlanders who will also be parading their new South African coach, Mlungisi ‘Professor’ Ngubane, on Sunday at Somhlolo National Stadium at 1:30pm.