DURBAN – It will be business as usual for Clinton Larsen on Saturday when his Chippa United outfit locks horns with his former employers, Lamontville Golden Arrows, at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium in Clermont at 3pm in an Absa Premiership tussle.
Durban-born Larsen led Abafana Bes’thende for three years before parting with the club last December.
Larsen has not played against a Durban cub since joining Chippa.
“It will be not the first time I come up against Arrows. There will be no emotions. I have a job at hand with Chippa United. Yes, I had good three years with Arrows but that is all behind now. A win against Arrows will take us to five points and that will be a good start. We want to get off to a positive start,” Larsen said.
The Chilli Boys are searching for their first win. The Port Elizabeth side drew their opening games of the season against newcomers Stellenbosch FC and defending league champions Mamelodi Sundowns.
“We know that it won’t be easy against Arrows away from home. They want to bounce back after their result against Bloemfontein Celtic. They are a lot better than that. They will come out guns blazing at us. We are in for a difficult encounter. We want to collect as many points as possible in the early stages of the season,” he added.
Frederic Nsabiyumva of Chippa United and Keletso Makgalwa of Sundowns during the Absa Premiership match at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth on 14 August 2019. Photo: Deryck Foster/BackpagePix
Abafana Bes’thende lost their last league encounter 5-0 to Bloemfontein Celtic.
Said Larsen: “We don’t want to find ourselves in a position in which we were last season. We all know that we were fighting relegation. We want to avoid that this season. The only way to avoid that is by collecting points early in the season. The more we win games, the more we gain confidence.
A team with confidence is a difficult team to beat,” Larsen concluded.