Fiery Bees play just what the coach ordered

EC BEES coach Chippa Njedu was chuffed with his team’s performance after they hammered Bizana Pondo Chiefs 4-0 at Bhisho Stadium over the weekend.

Njedu told the Daily Dispatch he wanted to pay more attention to his U19 players as he wanted to ensure they hit the ground running next season in order to compete for the league title.

The win pushed Bees to 47 points in second spot, while Chiefs are still fourth position with 38 points.

“We can see that there’s progress in the team, as we can see that our young guys are ready – so we’ll be able to compete next season because they are our sole focus now,” said Njedu.

“We needed to check where they are and where we can help them get to the level we want them to be at, as you know how important variety is to a team that wants to compete.”

With two games remaining in the third-tier league, Njedu was content but said he aimed to finish on a high.

“We are going to continue playing these young boys and give the experienced players a rest because these boys are developing with these games.

“They are growing up nicely, but then we can’t forget to provide them with a little bit of experience and guidance on the field.”

Last season the “Crazy Gang” qualified for the promotional playoffs to National First Division – but this time round Tornado has already secured their ticket for the trip.

“I don’t have any regrets even though we couldn’t win the league, we were still able to play in the Nedbank Cup and we reached the last 16.”

Njedu's charges will on Saturday host the third-placed PE Stars and he expects a tough time from the Port Elizabeth-based side.

“They also want to finish in second position, so that game will be a challenge and the gap between us is not too much.

“But we won’t change anything from today’s team – even the approach will be same and we’ll continue to give the young boys in the team a chance.

“And PE Stars we owe a victory, because last time we met we played a draw so we need to punish them.”

Chiefs coach Mothlatsi “Ntsimbi” Hlwayisi ate humble pie after their loss to Bees. “There’s nothing I can say was wrong today in the match, it’s just silly mistakes that cost us the game more especially in the first half,” he said.

“Silly goals that we conceded for instance, but, then I can’t fault anyone because I’m playing guys who haven’t been playing during the season.

“We are giving everyone game time, because there’s nothing that we are fighting for now, and we don’t have worries about being relegated or even getting a promotion,” he said.

Hlwayisi said he would use the remaining two games to assess his team for next season.

“The intensity of the game against Bees was very high which will go a long way in exposing our players so that next season they know what to expect from a team like this one.”

Other results: Swartkops Valley United Brothers 0 Matta Milan 0, Tornado 2 Spear 0, Try Again 1 Lion City 0, PE Stars 0 Future Tigers 1.