The agony TS Galaxy inflicted on Kaizer Chiefs when they elbowed them out of the Nedbank Cup in the first round back in February seems to still be haunting Amakhosi.

This has been suggested by Chiefs midfielder Cole Alexander ahead of their league match against Galaxy at FNB Stadium on Tuesday at 7.30pm. “We got out of the Nedbank Cup against them [Galaxy], so I think that can be a bit of motivation for us to also get back at them,” said Alexander.

In what was his first match in 2022, after recovering from an unknown injury that kept him out for nearly 12 weeks, Alexander scored his maiden goal for Chiefs when they thumped another struggling side, Chippa United 3-1 away on Saturday.

The 32-year-old midfielder couldn’t contain his excitement after netting, having been sidelined for a while. “I was out for almost 12 weeks, so I was happy to return to play. I was also very happy to get my first goal in the Chiefs colours. I am just going to give my best every single day, that’s what I can promise.”

Alexander, who linked up with Amakhosi at the start of the season, has never played in front of the Chiefs supporters due to Covid-19 regulations. The former Bidvest Wits midfielder is raring to finally experience being cheered on by the Amakhosi faithful after the regulations were relaxed, allowing stadiums to host PSL games half-full from Friday onward.

Chiefs’ first game with fans back in the stadium will be against SuperSport United on April 16.

“I am very, very excited about the fans returning to stadiums. As a player who used to play against Chiefs, their crowd was always intimidating, so I am excited to have the opposite of that now...to have the crowd cheering for me in this case. That’s a big advantage... I know that because I used to play against Chiefs,” Alexander said.