Johannesburg – After the preservation of his perfect start since taking over the reins, SuperSport United coach Gordon Igesund praised his team’s attitude after their 3-0 drubbing of Bloemfontein Celtic on Saturday.
“The performance of the team on the field speaks for itself. The players have shown me the eagerness to learn and play,” Igesund said.
“I think the players are all on board and understand what I am trying to do with the team, so there aren’t any concerns about whether the players are dedicated.”
Matsatsantsa have now won both matches since Igesund took charge, in the process scoring six goals. They beat Platinum Stars 3-1 in his first match at the helm.
Goals from Dino Ndlovu, Thato Mokeke and Clayton Daniels sealed the points for the Pretoria club at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on Saturday.
The two opening strikes from Ndlovu in the 14th minute and Mokeke in the 30th minute were well-orchestrated team goals which pleased the coach. The third goal was a penalty from team captain Clayton Daniels in the 89th minute.
Matsatsantsa looked invigorated as they spread the pass seamlessly on the pitch, with the opposition Celtic left chasing shadows.
“This team has goals in it. There are many attacking options going forward and everybody is a threat going forward,” Igesund said.
What compounded matters for Celtic was the second-half red card shown to striker Gabadinho Mhango when they were two goals down.
For the resurgent United, it was their third win of the season after enduring a torrid start under former coach Cavin Johnson, who was fired at the beginning of the month.
United had previously lost four out of five matches before Igesund was hired.
Igesund, whose team is steadily climbing up the table, believes the team is still playing catch-up and talk of them challenging for the league is premature.
“As we are working towards the halfway mark in the league we are continually progressing. But it has to be one game at a time. We cannot be too worried about anything else at the moment.”
The former Bafana Bafana mentor believes that pacesetters Kaizer Chiefs are still the team to beat.
“The gap between us and log-leaders Chiefs remains a huge one. For us to catch them it would mean we must win four in a row and they must lose four in a row.
“We need to be realistic – you can’t give a team like Chiefs a 12-point start.”
Celtic assistant coach Fadlu Davids said the Bloemfontein outfit were always the underdogs going into the clash, with United full of confidence with Igesund at the helm.
“We knew it would be a challenge to come to them and get a result with their new coach.
“They play an energetic brand of football and were more clinical in the counter-attack.”
The Free State-based outfit are not down and out, with a league record of three wins, three losses and a draw. – Sapa