Durban – Chippa United coach Daine Klate has paid tribute to his troops, hailing their positive attitude following their 1-0 win over Orlando Pirates at the Orlando Stadium on Sunday. The win was the first for the Chilli Boys in the league this season and will be a major relief to Klate, considering that he occupies one of the most high-pressure coaching jobs in South African football.
Despite only having 32% ball possession, Chippa found the only goal of the game via Abdi Banda in the 86th minute.
“We have to compliment the players. They were fantastic. The Banda goal was unbelievable. The build-up to the goal for me was great. Aviwe Mqokozo was there and was clever. It was a fantastic attitude from the boys. The substitutes again came in and made a difference. We pulled together as a team and got the result. At half-time I told them that it would not be easy,” Klate said.
Klate has so far had a modest start to life as Chilli Boys coach. His club started their season with a draw against SuperSport United before falling to a 3-1 defeat to Royal AM. They responded well to the defeat by beating Pirates.
📸 some action snaps against Orlando Pirates. #PrideOfEasternCape #AyeyeChilliBoysAyeye🌶🌶🌶 pic.twitter.com/UGXxyteCuf
A Gqberha born personality himself, Klate has strong ambitions with Chippa United. He wants to win silverware with the club. The Chilli Boys have not won a trophy since their formation in 2010.
The 37-year-old adopts an outspoken approach on the sidelines and says that this is motivated by his passion for the game and his team.
“Sometimes when you say something, they realise that you are speaking sense. I get emotional because of the passion. The players also feed off the passion. We deserved the three points,” Klate said.
Chippa’s next game will be against Maritzburg United at the Harry Gwala Stadium on Saturday night. This is another game from which they will be eyeing a win. John Maduka’s Team of Choice have made a slow start to the season, having drawn two out of their three games so far in-between losing against Kaizer Chiefs.
@EshlinV