New kids on the block vow to be Chilli hot
NEWLY-SIGNED Chippa United players Daniel Akpeyi and Sandile Zuke say they have adjusted well to life at the Chilli Boys and are eager to make an impression in the Premier Soccer League starting this weekend.
Chippa open the season against league defending champions Kaizer Chiefs at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Ironically,
this
fixture was Chippa’s PRINCE Nxumalo was playing in the lower tier last season but it has taken just one game in the international spotlight to put the player in the radar of Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon.
Portuguese media confirmed that Nxumalo’s forceful final of last season and played a part in keeping the Port Elizabeth-based team in the Premier Soccer League.
They managed to survive relegation by the skin of their teeth due to a superior goal difference over AmaZulu, who were eventually cut from the top-flight.
After spending two weeks in Durban for their pre-season camp, the team is back in the Bay preparing for their first game of the season.
“It was a good camp and we got a lot of fitness work done during it. We managed
AFP to get to know each other on a personal level and we enjoyed ourselves,” said Zuke.
“The players are excited about the new season and our game on Sunday. We are here to compete in PSL and not just to add to the numbers. On Sunday we will be competing for the three points at stake.”
The former Bidvest Wits and Kaizer Chiefs player has signed a year contract with the PE side.
Zuke, 27, aims to contribute positively
— to the success of the team this season.
Nigerian goalkeeper Akpeyi believes his side will achieve their mandate of finishing in the top eight.
“The club was able to recruit some good quality players this season. I hope by the end of the day it will pay off. I am sure that dream will come true,” he said.
Last season the Chilli Boys conceded 37 goals and only scored 23. Akpeyi, also 27, promised Chippa fans a solid defensive line this time around. United, ironically against his new club Ajax.
He was loaned to F C Cape Town during the 2013-14 season, returning to SuperSport and then spending the second half of last season at Arrows in the lower tier.
He won promotion to the top-flight with Arrows in May and earned a National First Division medal.