JOHANNESBURG – Platinum Stars’ three successive wins have not only put the club in a comfortable position in the league, it also means they can give the CAF Confederation Cup their all, like coach Cavin Johnson wanted.
Dikwena started their continental campaign with just three points separating them from bottom-placed Baroka FC, which saw Johnson approach the competition with a hint of caution.
The coach wanted to get past Mozambican side Uniao Desportiva do Songo in the preliminary round, but not as much as to move away from the relegation dogfight they were getting dragged into.
Wins over Bloemfontein Celtic, Chippa United and Golden Arrows have put the Phokeng-based side in the top eight.
The breathing space they have given themselves will put them in a comfortable position as they take on Vipers in Kampala, Uganda, in the first leg of their Confederation Cup first-round tie today.
Johnson has a small request from his young players representing the country for the first time at this stage.
“I have said this before, when you play against teams from other parts of the continent you can see the hunger in their eyes,” he said.
“You can see the hunger in their feet, hunger to go somewhere better in life. I would like our youngsters to have the same hunger to move on in life and go places. They must use this tournament to do that.
“The continent is watching. The world is so small that if you do things properly, football can take care of you for the rest of your life.”
Johnson threw a number of young players in at the deep end, from Gift Links to Sphamandla Mlilo, who come from the club’s development.
There were some teething problems at first, which saw the club struggle to pick up points and led to them being drawn into the bottom half of the log. Johnson persisted with them until the club clawed their way out of that zone.
They will play with more freedom without the threat of relegation looming large over them.
“These are your children, Bafokeng, come and support them in your thousands,” Johnson said.
“Mlilo comes from these parts and went through our development structures. He has played most of our games this year and has grown from strength to strength. He is a rare find.
“We can only build our team from those types of players and hopefully the community will support them.
“There is always pressure. It’s either tight on top or tight at the bottom.
“It was tight at the bottom and we needed to get out of that situation.
“We want to play on the continent and emulate Mamelodi Sundowns but we also wanted to stay in the PSL because if you aren’t in the PSL, you can’t play in those competitions.”
Dikwena will host the Ugandan side in the second leg next Saturday, with a place in the Confederation Cup playoffs up for grabs.
Should they get past that stage, at the expense of the team that will be demoted from the Champions League, they will reach the group stage of the Confederation Cup.
The last time Dikwena went far in a continental competition, they fell at the last hurdle of the Champions League just before the group stage, to eventual winners Al Ahly in 2008.
Their new-found confidence will put them in a good position this campaign.
“Nobody played us off the park this season.
“That’s why I am confident about our future,” said Johnson.