Orlando Pirates captain Innocent Maela raves about Mohau Nkota & Relebohile Mofokeng rise - 'You have to give credit to the coaches'

Jose Riveiro introduced Relebohile Mofokeng to the South African top tier late in the 2022/23 season and he has gone on to be a revelation for Pirates.

The new kid on the block is one Mohau Nkota who has been making headlines with his explosive displays recently, capped off with a stunning brace in the Caf Champions League against CR Belouizdad.

Since making his senior debut for Bucs, Mofokeng has played 56 games for the Soweto giants across all competitions.

The 20-year-old has 10 goals and 14 assists to his name and is now a Bafana Bafana international.

Nkota has four appearances so far for Pirates; interestingly, he has scored four goals.

His latest strikes were against CR Belouizdad in Group C of the Caf Champions League assignment.

Pirates captain Innocent Maela is happy to have the duo in the team, but insists the Academy coaches have to be lauded for the good work they are doing.

“A lot of credit must go to the academy, the previous coaches that have worked with them, throughout, but yeah as an individual, you have to give credit to the guys,” the versatile defender told the media.

"We believe if we train well, work hard and you are good enough, then you deserve to play; we wish [Mofokeng and Nkota] the best of luck, we are here to support them and they should keep going you know, keep growing, keep their feet on the ground.

"They need to keep improving, getting better and better, keep being humble, but yeah a lot of credit needs to go to the academy where they come from, the coaches that work with them, we wish they can keep going like that and keep improving," Maela concluded.

This season, Pirates have promised to challenge Mamelodi Sundowns for the Premier Soccer League and deliver in the Caf Champions League as well.

Nkota and Mofokeng will be crucial for Riveiro if they can sustain their consistency and continue having an impact in the final third.