SuperSport United will welcome Kaizer Chiefs for their DStv Premiership clash late on Sunday with a little warning…
SuperSport United will welcome Kaizer Chiefs for their DStv Premiership clash late on Sunday with a little warning…
Their group of young players are stepping up this season and desperate to show coach Kaitano Tembo their impressive start to the season can be sustained.
SSU are four points behind log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns and with the Brazilians in CAF action this weekend, their Tshwane rivals will want to slice into that gap at the expense of the Glamour Boys, who are just as desperate catch-up.
“I think there are plenty lessons learnt. We could have managed our senior players better in terms of recovery and game time. If you look closely, this season we haven’t started Bradley (Grobler) and (Thamsanqa) Gabuza at the same time because that was our biggest problem with injuries and lacked experience,” Tembo told journalists.
The coach had been asked whether the likes of Luke Fleurs, Jesse Donn, Jammie Webber, Teboho Mokoena and Sipho Mbule can carry the team given their youth.
“We know with young players there can be lack of confidence and form, which at that point they need experience from senior players. That’s why we have Buhle (Mkhwanazi) to guide the young players along with Ronwen. We only have Bradley coming back only now to start training because he has been injured for some time, but we have a team that wants to fight for each and every point, which is very key for us.”
One of the experienced players is captain Ronwen Williams, who joined SSU when he was 12-years old and will turn 30 in January.
He says the kids are ready!
“I am not surprised at all because over the course of last year we have given these players minutes – we are bearing the fruits now. They were struggling and learning the season before, but now you can’t call them youngsters anymore – Mokoena, Mbule and Webber. I think they have about four years under their belt now and they are stepping up with younger ones also coming in. It’s down to the minutes the coach has given them. I am here to push them and let them know they can reach for the stars,” the Bafana goalkeeper said.
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