There could not have been a more adequate replacement for a blundering Kennedy Mweene than Denis Onyango, a keeper who is as level-headed on the pitch as he is off it.

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane wanted safe and steady hands with crucial fixtures piling up in the Absa Premiership and CAF Champions League.

Onyango, sent on loan to Bidvest Wits last season, was the obvious choice when Mweene became a liability. And the Ugandan hopes to keep yet another clean sheet tonight when second-placed Sundowns, the defending league champions, take on a desperate Chippa United side that is still looking for a win under Ernst Middendorp.

The game kicks off at 7.30pm at Loftus Stadium in Tshwane.

"It was obviously painful because we couldn't win the league when I was there. But in the end I was happy for the team and their achievement," said Onyango about missing out on another Premier League medal.

"I was always confident that I would grab my chance if it came. I spoke to the coaching department and they promised me game time as long as I kept fighting and pushing."

Onyango, who has kept five clean sheets in eight matches since taking over from Mweene at the start of the year, yesterday said he felt just as burdened as the strikers to help close the gap on log leaders Kaizer Chiefs. Sundowns trail Amakhosi by eight points.