KAIZER Chiefs, having reiterated their desire to win the Premiership and the club management giving coach Vladimir Vermezovic their full backing, got a rude awakening in the first match of the second half of the season.
Amakhosi came from a goal down to salvage a point against Premier League strugglers Jomo Cosmos at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Wednesday night, allowing Mamelodi Sundowns to stretch their lead at the top to five points.
Chiefs are joint second with SuperSport United and Moroka Swallows on 29 points after 16 league matches. They face Swallows, who got all three points against Santos on the same night, in a Soweto derby at Soccer City tomorrow. Kickoff is at 6pm.
That the Dube Birds have got their second round off to a winning start makes the derby all the more enticing for the fans, despite the evident rustiness of many of the sides in action on Wednesday after the two-month long break.
The Chiefs coach lauded his players' second-half performance against Cosmos after striker Lehlohonolo Majoro cancelled out Mark Haskins 74th minute goal with a late equaliser. But draws won't win them the championship.
"It was an interesting game and we played better in the second half after making changes," said Vermezovic. "We created lot of chances once more but we did not convert them and we got punished."
Majoro is now Chiefs' leading league scorer with five goals from nine games. The Bafana Bafana striker is likely to start against Swallows in place of S'thembiso Ngcobo, who has netted just once in five league games.
"We need to dust ourselves and continue to fight. We do not have a lot of time to relax before our game against Moroka Swallows ... We will go back to the training ground and work on our mistakes. There is a long way to go and we will continue fighting," Vermezovic said.
The "long way" - 14 matches - means the Birds are also in with a chance of winning their first PSL title. But coach Gordon Igesund has often ruled Swallows out of contention for the championship.
Igesund knows all about winning titles and has done so with four different Premier League clubs in Manning Rangers, Orlando Pirates, Santos and Sundowns.
However, the coach is playing his cards close to his chest ahead of the encounter against Amakhosi, preferring to talk about star midfielder David Mathebula.
"I don't think there is a player in the country currently like David Mathebula. I think he should be in the Bafana Bafana squad. If I were the coach, he'd be the first name on my list," said Igesund, of the former Chiefs player.
Mathebula might very well be the man to watch on Saturday, with a victory for Swallows taking them to second spot if United stumble against Golden Arrows.
Chiefs start afresh
KAIZER Chiefs, having reiterated their desire to win the Premiership and the club management giving coach Vladimir Vermezovic their full backing, got a rude awakening in the first match of the second half of the season.
Amakhosi came from a goal down to salvage a point against Premier League strugglers Jomo Cosmos at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Wednesday night, allowing Mamelodi Sundowns to stretch their lead at the top to five points.
Chiefs are joint second with SuperSport United and Moroka Swallows on 29 points after 16 league matches. They face Swallows, who got all three points against Santos on the same night, in a Soweto derby at Soccer City tomorrow. Kickoff is at 6pm.
That the Dube Birds have got their second round off to a winning start makes the derby all the more enticing for the fans, despite the evident rustiness of many of the sides in action on Wednesday after the two-month long break.
The Chiefs coach lauded his players' second-half performance against Cosmos after striker Lehlohonolo Majoro cancelled out Mark Haskins 74th minute goal with a late equaliser. But draws won't win them the championship.
"It was an interesting game and we played better in the second half after making changes," said Vermezovic. "We created lot of chances once more but we did not convert them and we got punished."
Majoro is now Chiefs' leading league scorer with five goals from nine games. The Bafana Bafana striker is likely to start against Swallows in place of S'thembiso Ngcobo, who has netted just once in five league games.
"We need to dust ourselves and continue to fight. We do not have a lot of time to relax before our game against Moroka Swallows ... We will go back to the training ground and work on our mistakes. There is a long way to go and we will continue fighting," Vermezovic said.
The "long way" - 14 matches - means the Birds are also in with a chance of winning their first PSL title. But coach Gordon Igesund has often ruled Swallows out of contention for the championship.
Igesund knows all about winning titles and has done so with four different Premier League clubs in Manning Rangers, Orlando Pirates, Santos and Sundowns.
However, the coach is playing his cards close to his chest ahead of the encounter against Amakhosi, preferring to talk about star midfielder David Mathebula.
"I don't think there is a player in the country currently like David Mathebula. I think he should be in the Bafana Bafana squad. If I were the coach, he'd be the first name on my list," said Igesund, of the former Chiefs player.
Mathebula might very well be the man to watch on Saturday, with a victory for Swallows taking them to second spot if United stumble against Golden Arrows.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Latest Videos