'Kanu' blows own horn after Bay's big win over Chiefs

Richards  Bay coach Vusumuzi Vilakazi has given himself a pat on the back for accepting his current job even when the club had already been relegation-threatened, believing he'll have a big coaching career.

"Kanu" as Vilakazi is nicknamed, initially joined Bay as a senior coach, working with Kaitano Tembo in November. He assumed the head-coaching role when Tembo was sacked on Christmas. The Natal Rich Boyz beat Kaizer Chiefs 1-0 at King Zwelithini Stadium at the weekend, boosting their chances of avoiding automatic relegation.

"It's very important for my profile and career to save Richards Bay. I was brave enough to accept the challenge. The chairman [Jomo Biyela] trusted me with a R65m status and said 'this young, upcoming coach will be able to save the team'. What I am doing here isn't a child's play and there are more experienced coaches who wouldn't have taken this job, seeing that the ship was sinking,'' Vilakazi said.

"I am brave and I believe in myself. I am still saying it that this isn't the best of Kanu...people are yet to see Kanu as a coach.''

Bay have since shifted their focus to direct relegation rivals Cape Town Spurs, who they face away on Friday. Kanu expects a tricky trip to the Mother City, albeit insisting they had an edge over the Urban Warriors after winning against Moroka Swallows and Chiefs in their past two games.

Spurs are winless in their last six league games with four defeats and two draws.

"Playing away in Cape Town has never been easy but I think we have an upper hand over them because we have the confidence from winning our last two games,'' Vilakazi said.

"They haven't won in four games [in fact in six games], so I suspect they will make a lot of changes because they are looking for solutions. Sometimes a thing you think might be a solution can be a disaster, so we will try to capitalise on their weaknesses."