Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Brandon Petersen says they should not be written off in the league as the Betway Premiership is still very much for the taking.
Amakhosi are currently sitting on number five in the log standings with 18 points – 12 points shy of leaders Mamelodi Sundowns who are on 30 points after 11 matches.
With over 15 league games remaining, Petersen said for that reason, Chiefs should not be overlooked in the title chase until the champions have been officially crowned.
League is still there for the taking
“The league is still there for the taking. You know, we can’t write the league off until someone is crowned champion,” Petersen said after the Nedbank Cup round of 32 draw on Thursday.
“But I mean for us the Nedbank Cup is the next one on the horizon. So it’s do or die because we want to end the season with silverware, you know.
“And I think for us, this is the one Cup where we must go out guns blazing. And we must have the main goal in mind, which is to walk away with the trophy.”
Meanwhile, Petersen says this may just be the season where they break their Nedbank Cup hoodoo against lower-division teams. They may actually advance to the next stage of the competition.
Amakhosi were pitted against minnows Free Agents FC who ply their trade in the ABC Motsepe League.
“We are excited about the draw. And we are looking forward to the game against Free Agents,” he said.
This time is going to be a bit different
“It raises a lot of eyebrows because of the past when it comes to lower division teams in the Nedbank Cup. And I think this time is going to be a bit different for us.
“It’s time now for us to prove them [doubters] wrong. To show them that we can break that curse of losing to lower division teams. I think it’s for us just to go out and apply ourselves properly.
“If we go out and do what we can do best, we are Chiefs for a reason. So we just got to go out there. Cover every blade of grass, fight with everything we have in us. And I assure you if we do that, we will come out with a result.”
Having already missed out on the MTN8 and the Carling Knockout so far this season, Chiefs’ only realistic shot at getting a taste of silverware and ending the nine-year trophy drought is through lifting the Nedbank Cup.
