Shot stoppers steal show as Richards Bay heap further misery on Pirates, Stellies win in Durbs

Thabang Monare's sending off just before fulltime in Orlando Pirates' goalless draw with Richards Bay perfectly summed up the day the Buccaneers had at King Zwelithini Stadium on Saturday afternoon. 

It was a frustrating outing for the Sea Robbers who are drowning in a sea of draws.

Monare was on the bench when he was sent off by referee Jelly Chavali.

The Pirates' midfielder protested too much for the referee's liking as Richards Bays managed the match by stealing every second that was available – especially goalkeeper Jakson Mabokgwane.  

While this was a massive point for the Natal Rich Boyz, for Pirates it was two lost points in what has been a miserable start to the DStv Premiership.

Pirates are so far off log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns that the two can't even be mentioned in the same sentence at the moment.

Sundowns are champions-elect even before we reach the halfway point of the season while the Buccaneers are a midtable side at best.  

It's a hard fall from grace for a team that challenged Sundowns for the league last season, and even managed to bag the two trophies that were on offer.

This point was crushing to Pirates because Richards Bay eliminated them from the Carling Knockout in a match where neither side could score after two hours of football.

When they were given another 90 minutes, both teams still couldn’t score.  

And just like in the Carling Knockout, this was a victory for the KwaZulu-Natal outfit.

A refreshed Pirates side struggled to penetrate the brick wall Richards Bay placed in front of Mabokgwane. When the Buccaneers managed to squeeze past that wall, Mabokgwane was up to the task to deny his former team producing brilliant saves and showing off his acrobatic side.  

Richards Bay put on a