By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Kaizer Chiefs wrapped up their final home match of the year with a third successive victory for the first time this season.
However interim coach Cavin Johnson conceded that his team faced challenges on the day.
It proved a laboured performance from Chiefs, whose only real high point of the evening was Nkosingphile Ngcobo’s run towards the opposing goal, and then his 20m left-footed shot strike that marked the only goal of the game.
“We won the game but we made too many errors for me, in certain moments in the game where I thought we could have held the ball better, could have gone further up the pitch with a lot more finesse like we trained, but we tend to put ourselves under a lot of pressure,” said Johnson as Chiefs joined fifth-placed Stellenbosch on 23 points.
“I think we did a little bit in the first 20 minutes, there sort of was a lot of energy in the team. We had maybe one or two, I think, clear chances where we should have scored. The decision making to shoot, or to pass, was not good and then we lost the ball, and we know we’re playing against a counter attack team and then they come at you.
“But in the second half it was a lot more difficult because I think they wanted it more. But, be as it may be, we won the game and we carry on. We’ll try and fix what happened and hopefully we’ll get it right.”
Johnson said that a trio of 1-0 wins, following away success over Moroka Swallows and Polokwane City in their previous two games, was not yet evidence of a winning culture being built at the club.
“I think we need to much be much better. And like I told the players, three in a row we celebrate, but for me, that’s not Kaizer Chiefs. It might sound like I’m unhappy. But I’m the leader of this team. And the leader has to take responsibility for a lot of things. The players have to feel what it is really like to play for Chiefs.”
The coach, who has been in charge for six games now since the sacking of Molefi Ntseki, felt there could have been much more fluidity in their play and more aggression.
“It’s important that we identify quicker when to score the goals, or when to push, to have the action finished. And we need to get there. At the training, it works. On the field, when there’s a few thousand supporters behind you, it’s not going like you want it to go.
“Remember, when the league started, people were bullying Chiefs. We need to make sure that we get to that level and getting to that level is major, major work. It’s going to take us a while to get to that level, where we know what we do. We need to get there. But to get there is difficult because in the beginning of the season, we were bullied as well. And now after three games, maybe the bullying is a little bit over, maybe we’re going to get more confident, “Johnson said.