Leopards coach wants to keep claws sharpened

Black Leopards coach Dylan Kerr has urged his players to show the same commitment and fighting spirit they had during their impressive 2-0 victory over Orlando Pirates when they host Cape Town City at Thohoyandou Stadium tonight (5pm).

Leopards were impressive against Pirates, as they recorded their second victory in the DStv Premiership this season.

Kerr said they had played like that in the past but only for 45 minutes and was pleased to see his side outplay Pirates in the entire match, something they must build on tonight.

“We have been like that in other games, you know, it was that the players were not taking responsibilities on the field,” Kerr told Sowetan yesterday. “We’ve done well in other games. Sometimes it didn’t come out well as you would have wanted. But against Pirates, it did.

“Players want to do better against the big three. They want to prove something against Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns. [But] the mentality changes. My statement today (yesterday) at training was, don’t let that results against Pirates go into your head.

“We got three points. What is the performance going to be against Cape Town City, who are coming at the back of defeat? Now we want to get three points at home, and we have to use the same mentality and same work ethic we had against Pirates.”

What Kerr did at Lidoda Duvha since he took over from Patrick Aussems was to restore confidence in the team. They now play with confidence and have no fear, and this has impressed him. “I’m always confident going into the game. I work with the players every day, and I see what we can do on the field,” Kerr said.

“We’ve proved that we are a good team when we want to be, but we got to be good for 90 minutes. It cannot be for 45 minutes. We have to see the game out, and that’s what we did on Sunday. I’m a very positive coach.

"I don’t like to play defensive or negative [football]. You know, I want my players to showcase themselves and show what they can do with the ball and when they don’t have the ball. They come into training with a smile, and they leave with a smile. That’s how football works. The confidence is down to the players enjoying training.”