Cavin Johnson, head coach of Kaizer Chiefs reacts during the DStv Premiership 2023/24 match between Polokwane City and Kaizer Chiefs at Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane Though there is much work ahead for Kaizer Chiefs, Cavin Johnson hopes to keep building on his side’s performances to restore the Soweto Giants’ former glory. Picture: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix
“We have to keep stitching the Kaizer Chiefs cloth.”
Cavin Johnson did not have a needle and thread in hand as he addressed the media corps in the bowels of the Peter Mokaba Stadium after Amakhosi’s 1-0 DStv Premiership victory over Polokwane City on Saturday.
But he could well have been a tailor working on a suit as he sat on a chair speaking about how hard everyone at Naturena is working to get Amakhosi back to being the mighty club they used to be.
Having admitted that City “was a difficult game” and that Chiefs had put on a much better display ”against (Moroka) Swallows“ the week before, Johnson also expressed disappointment that his team did not render the match a no-contest despite having the opportunities.
“I thought there were times when we could have killed the game; when our left backs, centre backs and right backs had the ball, but we then played the ball too early and through,” he lamented.
“If we had the win like (we did against) Swallows then we can say we are building on the type of play we want to have going forwards. But we have to keep stitching the Kaizer Chiefs cloth.”
That cloth is going to take some stitching all right, given the condition it currently is in.
This Chiefs side is nothing like the Chiefs of old, and the fact they struggled to get over a City outfit that played more with hope than purpose confirmed that much.
Johnson’s admission that they found it difficult against “a team that gives you a hard time (because) they play on the second ball, they play the ball around and they run,” speaks to just how the once-mighty Amakhosi have fallen.
The Chiefs of old always found a way around any kind of opposition. The Chiefs of old dictated and dominated play. It was always the opposition who had to find a way to deal with how Chiefs play, not the other way round, as Johnson says.
“We didn’t play our best football and we now have to go home and see how do we play against a team that plays like this.”
That’s for the future, though, and on Saturday Johnson was just delighted they won, their unimpressive showing notwithstanding.
“At the end of the day everybody is happy because we got the three points.
“In the second half we had to do a lot of defending. Did they have any clear chances against Bruce (Bvuma, the goalkeeper)? In the first half they had two, but Bruce is paid (to) be the goalkeeper and to save the goals and he did that. But credit has to go to (Pule) Mmodi who scored the goal.”
Mmodi had done well to cut inside from the left and slot home a grass-cutting shot past two defenders who had unsighted goalkeeper Manuel Sapunga.
Johnson led the team in somewhat over-the-top celebrations with the Amakhosi faithful at the end of the match, which would have given an uninformed observer the impression Chiefs had won the championship.
“We wanted the crowd to cheer the boys because we want them to be aware that we are not sitting at the village and twiddling our thumbs. We want to inform them that we do a lot of hard work, but sometimes football has to be cruel to both sides and we have to accept the losses and the wins that come with being a Chiefs fan or employee.”
Next up for Amakhosi is a trip to Richards Bay on December 23, and Johnson would have had a good two weeks to continue “stitching the Kaizer Chiefs cloth”.
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