Amazulu ‘must take good form into cup contest’
AMAZULU coach Craig Rosslee is satisfied with the team’s fourth place in the Absa Premiership standing but wants his charges to carry their promising early season momentum into next week’s Telkom Knockout.
Usuthu have surprised many with their positive league start to the campaign, which has them locked on 11 points with four other table-topping sides.
They travel to Goble Park for a date with Free State Stars in the opening round of the Telkom Knockout next Saturday with confidence at an historic high.
“The cup competition will be another great chance for us to show what we can do,” Rosslee said. “We’ve got to make sure that we continue in the same vein and carry our momentum into the cup competition.
“It is a game away from home, playing on a tight field against a Free State Stars side that got physically stuck into Lamontville Golden Arrows last time out. We have to be up for the physical challenge from the outset. It is a onceoff encounter, so we will be practising penalties too.
“The two-week break between now and the game will give us time to work on a couple of things and hopefully get players like Sadney Urikhob, Mohammed Awal-Issa, Letladi Madubanya and Pinehas Jakob back from injury.”
Usuthu have already almost matched the number of points they accumulated in 16 games last year and they have notched up more victories than they did in the entire first half of last season — three. Their marked improvement showed in the way they bossed proceedings in the 1-1 draw with SuperSport United last Saturday night, who were lucky to leave Durban with a point.
“We are punching above our weight,” Rosslee said. If the boys can keep on doing this, there will be magic.
“Looking at where the club was at this point last year to where we are now — not only in points gathered but in the brand of football we are playing — it means we can challenge for honours. If we perform the way we have been, then we should be in line to take the cup.”
Meanwhile, Kaizer Chiefs have a new 34-year-old rightback. Josta Dladla has been given an allrounder role at the club because “it’s difficult to leave out a player with so much experience out of the team”, according to coach Stuart Baxter.
Dladla, a former Bafana winger who joined Amakhosi from Mamelodi Sundowns in 2009, would play cover for regular rightback Siboniso Gaxa this season — as well as a few other positions, the coach said.
Last week Dladla came off the bench to replace the injured Gaxa in Chiefs’ goalless draw against Bloemfontein Celtic at the Free State Stadium.
Gaxa was unable to recover in time for the club’s Absa Premiership clash against Platinum Stars at FNB Stadium on Saturday night, and Baxter played Dladla on the right side of defence alongside Morgan Gould, Molomowanadou Mathoho and Keegan Ritchie. Amakhosi won 2-0 and Dladla was voted man of the match.
Asked if this was a new role for Dladla, the coach admitted that he had been left with no choice but to find a place in his team for the club’s oldest player because of his workrate at training. “He is the Ryan Giggs (Manchester United’s 39-year old versatile player) of this club. Josta is at a point in his career where he has a lot of experience and can play any position.
“He works hard at training and has shown that he can compete for any position. I was happy with the way he played and thought he gave a 100% for 90 minutes of the game.”