Johannesburg - Daine Klate would not come right out and say it, but Bidvest Wits, a club that brought him in at the start of the campaign to “win things”, can be crowned Absa Premiership champions.
Much like his coach Gavin Hunt, the winger knows just what it takes to clinch the title, having done so five times with two different PSL teams.
It’s the combination of the player and coach that sticks out like a sore thumb at Wits as the two won three successive Premier League trophies during their time at SuperSport United. At the weekend, log leaders Wits maintained their position when they beat Golden Arrows 3-2 at Bidvest Stadium, with Klate scoring twice.
“I don’t think I had a good game, but in the last few minutes I made myself available and got into good spaces to score the winning goal,” Klate, who was voted man-of-the-match, said.
Wits had to twice come from behind to grab a crucial victory that allows them to retain their place at the top of the standings going into a lengthy three-week break from domestic football due to the Caf Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations in Senegal.
While there are worries from the coach, and surely even some players, that the recess will disrupt their rhythm, Klate believes Wits have the quality to run the marathon that is the league title race.
“In the first half we were very sloppy. You try to gather momentum then there’s a two-week break or you are not playing for three or four weeks. But that is for every team, not just us. So we have to take that in our stride and work as best as we possibly can,” said the former Orlando Pirates treble winner.
“By our standards, that performance wasn’t our best, but if you want to win the league title you are going to sometimes have to play bad to win games. We gave a typical example of that by going behind twice and coming back to win 3-2. That is the character of championship material, to say on a bad day you can still grind out results.” - Cape Times