Platinum Stars coach Cavin Johnson may have steered his side from the choppy relegation waters but he is not taking the wounded Kaizer Chiefs lightly.
Fresh off a disappointing 1-0 loss to Polokwane City on Saturday‚ Steve Komphela’s side are hard-pressed to fight for a place in the top four with SuperSport United a point ahead of them.
Platinum Stars embarrassed Chiefs in the corresponding fixture but Johnson knows in South African football‚ lightning doesn’t always strike twice‚ even though Chiefs have always been ripe for the picking this season.
“You can’t put anything past Chiefs‚” Johnson said.
“With their pedigree and their accolades‚ you have to play against Chiefs like you’re playing in a cup final.
“It’s going to be our last home game of the season so we have to make it a good one not only for us‚ but for our fans.
“It’s the first of two tough matches with the first one against Chiefs and the final one of the season against SuperSport United.
“Those are important matches for us but we need to get a good result and we’re going to play as hard as we can on Wednesday night.”
By their standards‚ “Dikwena” have had an underwhelming season even though they are still competing in the CAF Confederations Cup alongside SuperSport United.
The top six places may all be sewn up by now but positions seven and eight are still up for grabs.
Maritzburg United (36) in seventh may have their fate firmly in their hands but they have the tough ask of having to beat Mamelodi Sundowns and Bloemfontein Celtic to worry about in their remaining matches.
Orlando Pirates (32) and Ajax Cape Town (35) could cancel each other out while Golden Arrows (35) meet Pirates on the last day of the season.
With Platinum Stars on 31 points in 10th place‚ a top eight spot is within reach if results go their way and they meet their end of the bargain.
However‚ Johnson is just focussed on their short-term goal collecting as many points as they can.
“We don’t look at the position we’re in.
“We’re just looking at the front and if we’re able to get all three points from our next game‚ then we’re in a good position to get into the top eight.
“We are fighting as hard as we can to get into that position‚” Johnson said.
“We know we haven’t had a good season because we also brought in a lot of youngsters.
“We’ve also had a lot of injuries and have had to play a game every third day.
“We’ve had to change the team all the time.
“If we’re able to win on Wednesday night‚ then so be it because that’ll be good for the club.
“You can't put anything past Kaizer Chiefs‚" says Platinum Stars coach Cavin Johnson
Fresh off a disappointing 1-0 loss to Polokwane City on Saturday‚ Steve Komphela’s side are hard-pressed to fight for a place in the top four with SuperSport United a point ahead of them.
Platinum Stars embarrassed Chiefs in the corresponding fixture but Johnson knows in South African football‚ lightning doesn’t always strike twice‚ even though Chiefs have always been ripe for the picking this season.
“You can’t put anything past Chiefs‚” Johnson said.
“With their pedigree and their accolades‚ you have to play against Chiefs like you’re playing in a cup final.
“It’s going to be our last home game of the season so we have to make it a good one not only for us‚ but for our fans.
“It’s the first of two tough matches with the first one against Chiefs and the final one of the season against SuperSport United.
“Those are important matches for us but we need to get a good result and we’re going to play as hard as we can on Wednesday night.”
By their standards‚ “Dikwena” have had an underwhelming season even though they are still competing in the CAF Confederations Cup alongside SuperSport United.
The top six places may all be sewn up by now but positions seven and eight are still up for grabs.
Maritzburg United (36) in seventh may have their fate firmly in their hands but they have the tough ask of having to beat Mamelodi Sundowns and Bloemfontein Celtic to worry about in their remaining matches.
Orlando Pirates (32) and Ajax Cape Town (35) could cancel each other out while Golden Arrows (35) meet Pirates on the last day of the season.
With Platinum Stars on 31 points in 10th place‚ a top eight spot is within reach if results go their way and they meet their end of the bargain.
However‚ Johnson is just focussed on their short-term goal collecting as many points as they can.
“We don’t look at the position we’re in.
“We’re just looking at the front and if we’re able to get all three points from our next game‚ then we’re in a good position to get into the top eight.
“We are fighting as hard as we can to get into that position‚” Johnson said.
“We know we haven’t had a good season because we also brought in a lot of youngsters.
“We’ve also had a lot of injuries and have had to play a game every third day.
“We’ve had to change the team all the time.
“If we’re able to win on Wednesday night‚ then so be it because that’ll be good for the club.
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 Now
Latest Videos