Orlando Pirates’ season-opener against Polokwane City serves up one of the campaign’s most interesting sub-plots with one player eyeing a debut for his new club against a club he has known as home for much of his meteoric rise.
Newly-signed Bucs winger Oswin Appollis comes into the highly-anticipated clash with an intimate knowledge of the opposition, having donned the Limpopo outfit’s orange shirt for the vast majority of his top-flight career. He debuted in the MTN8 on their return to the highest tier of South African football at the start of the 2024/25 campaign, taking to the field for a little over an hour as the Limpopo outfit fell on the first hurdle in their pursuit for their first-ever top-level trophy.
The Bafana international career has continued its steady climb, and a year on since that disappointment in Tshwane, he finds himself in the famous black and white of the Soweto Giants.
The initial stages of his spell at the Buccaneers included a pre-season trip to Spain ahead of more training matches on home turf. Now a month since his unexpected Bucs unveiling captured headlines in the local football landscape, Appollis has detailed how he has so far experienced life as an Orlando Pirates player.
“It’s amazing. I’m happy to be part of this big club and the teammates have been great to me,” he told Orlandopiratesfc.com in an exclusive interview. “Growing up watching Pirates was amazing and most of my good friends support the club. The day they inquired about me, I didn’t hesitate to sign.”
Ahead of a possible debut, a significant detail sets the 23-year-old apart from the number of new faces that could feature for Pirates on Saturday. Over 50 of his competitive appearances have come in the colours of the outfit that will be on the opposite end of the white line.
Quizzed on what he expects from his former side, Appollis stressed on the Buccaneers’ need to focus on what they need to achieve.
“Of course, It’s going to be difficult as they are a strong team,” he said. “Most importantly, we have to focus on what we do as a group.”
As far as personal achievements are concerned, there is one feather missing from the cap of what is an established career. Already capped 11 times by South Africa, the Cape-born winger is yet to hoist a major domestic trophy.
Such an achievement was high on his wishlist when he sounded out what he hopes to achieve with the Sea Robbers
“Getting my first trophy as a footballer. I mean, who doesn’t wanna win trophies?” Appollis revealed. “Plus helping the team when I’m called up to come to do my job.”
The first step towards achieving that could be taken against a side he knows quite well as an ally, but not so much as a foe. The much-awaited fixture is scheduled for a 15:00 kick-off with match tickets sold out.
