AmaZulu’s Truter wary of in-form Royal AM
Interim coach banks on his ‘match winners’ to beat provincial rivals
AmaZulu interim coach Brandon Truter is worried about the threat Royal AM will pose when they meet in the KwaZulu-Natal derby at Chatsworth Stadium on Sunday at 3pm.
Truter has enjoyed a dream start at Usuthu with two wins in two matches in the DStv Premiership and as he looks for his third successive win, he is concerned that facing their neighbours could prove to be a daunting challenge.
Royal are one of the form teams in the league and are undefeated in their last 11 matches in all competitions. The last time they registered a loss was on December 22 when they were edged 1-0 by Baroka.
“Very good team and a very good coach as well,” Truter said, referring to his counterpart John Maduka. “They are on a good run at the moment. Yes, the structure is the one he used at Bloemfontein Celtic.
“They are not playing in the continent and you could see what the players can do. It is going to be a tough game. They are a team that bosses possession most of the time.
“They are a team that doesn’t concede much as well. But with the improvement from the boys in the last two weeks, I think we will be OK against them.
“They are also difficult to break down but we have match winners in our team as well, so I think the chances will be far and few [between]. It will be [down to] who will take them at the end of the day.”
The Usuthu management's target is a top-two finish from the remaining games and Truter is adamant that they can reach it.
They are now seventh in the table, nine points behind second-placed Royal.
“I would not have taken a job if I didn’t back myself and also doing research and knowing AmaZulu with the quality of players that are available,” he said.
“I do not doubt that the mandate will be reached. I feel confident about reaching that mandate and confident of even qualifying for the Champions League again by finishing second. That’s possible with 15 points to play [for].”