Chippa aim to finish in top eight

CHIPPA United may well be the surprise package among the leaders in the Premier Soccer League chase but coach Roger Sikhakhane says his team has set their sights on finishing in the top eight this season.

United moved up to the fourth position on the log after edging Free State Stars 1-0 in Port Elizabeth on Wednesday.

Sikhakhane’s charges were seeking to get back on the winning trail after they lost by the same margin 1-0 to Bloemfontein Celtic on Sunday.

“I’m happy with the performance of the team and after we gave away maximum points in Bloemfontein, it was important for the team to win this game against Free State Stars at home,” Sikhakhane said.

“The tempo of the game was quite good and very high but after we scored and we found ourselves under pressure in the second half but we know how to defend.

“Our opponents came with a plan to defeat us but we managed to stop them before they could do too much damage.”

He said the team introduced Mxolisi Ntshingile in the second half of the game to stabilise the midfield but later took him off and brought in defender Jabulani Nene to intensify the back.

“We could see they were all over us in the last 10 minutes. They were starting to play as if it’s their home ground and they wanted to equalise.

“It’s not that we are over-confident when we play at home, it’s because we’ve only lost one league game since I took over. Mistakes will be there but slowly they will be corrected.

“All PSL games are tough, even our next match against Mpumalanga Black Aces is going to be like this one therefore, there’s no easy team in the PSL. We are going to fight for the three points whether it’s home or away games,” Sikhakhane said.

He believes the knee injury sustained by David Zulu is not serious but that the team is still waiting for doctor’s report. United next host Black Aces at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Wednesday.