Chippa coach thrilled with team

CHIPPA United interim coach Dan “Dance” Malesela has guided his side into the top six and it is happy days for the Nelson Mandela Bay outfit.

Malesela said he was thrilled with his players’ performance in their 1-0 Premier Soccer League victory away to Bloemfontein Celtic on Sunday. Rhulani Manzini scored a late goal, which gave Chippa three points and only the club’s third away win in the league.

The victory has taken Chippa to 28 pints from 19 matches.

Malesela believes his boys could have hit the back of the net earlier in the game.

“They had chances, but think we had chances as well.

“But a win is a win and it is good that we managed to do that. It was justice for all the hard work that we had put through,” he said.

IAhead of the game, the former Cape Town All Stars mentor said the team would travel the day before match day to help the players acclimatise.

Malesela said the plan had worked.

“We didn’t show any signs of fatigue. No one cramped, they [Celtic] had people who cramped. “We also hydrated the players with a lot of water before the match.”

The coach said the competition established in the team has made it difficult for him to choose his starting 11. But Malesela has made sure that the players try and make a mark when they are given a chance to play.

“It will make life difficult for me in terms of selection, but its a healthy problem,” he said.

“You’d rather have a problem of selection than have a problem having none. Then you just pick and chose as you anyone that you want.”

Chippa’s next league fixture is against Free State Stars at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday from 3.30pm.