Royal AM official vows Thwihli Thwahla won’t surrender against Jose Riveiro's Orlando Pirates ahead of PSL clash - 'Supporters must come witness the new chapter'

Royal AM General Manager Richard Makhoba has issued a warning to Orlando Pirates ahead of their forthcoming Premier Soccer League match in Pietermaritzburg.

Thwihli Thwahla had encountered difficulties recently as the club was placed under the curatorship of the South African Revenue Service, and players allegedly went months without receiving pay.

Nevertheless, amidst all those struggles, Makhoba is confident that the Royal AM players will put up a strong fight against the formidable Pirates team.

"I think it will be a tough game. We want to congratulate Pirates for their good run in the Caf Champions League. We expect a very exciting match. It's not going to be easy," Makhoba told KickOff.com.

"They are the team of the moment, but we are willing to go out there and fight. We are going to give our best shot and 90 minutes will decide the outcome of the match.

"The spirit in the camp, the players are in a good mood. The players are looking forward to the match. There is a clean bill of health, there are no injuries," he added.

"We played a friendly match on (Sunday), and the boys played very well and were eager to impress the technical team. We are calling on all football supporters to come in big numbers and witness a new chapter at Royal AM."

Royal AM was placed under a preservation order by the SA Revenue Service after the club's owner Shawn Mkhize was alleged to have tax debts.

Mkhize's issues led to the club's failure to pay players and staff members, resulting in a strike, and its inability to fulfil a league match against Chippa United earlier this month.

However, this now seems to have been resolved as players have returned to training after reportedly receiving their overdue payments and are currently gearing up for their first match of the year. 

It will be interesting to see whether the Royal AM players will not be affected by the events of the past few weeks and manage to cause an upset against Pirates.

The two teams will compete for three points at the Harry Gwala Stadium in KwaZulu-Natal on Thursday evening.