Sekhukhune eye a four-point cushion at the summit of the Premiership log

Sekhukhune United have made an impressive start to the Betway Premiership campaign, showing they are capable of challenging the traditional hierarchy.

Under the guidance of Eric Tinkler, Babina Noko currently sit one point ahead of defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns, with a game in hand over the second-placed Brazilians. This week, they host bottom-placed Chippa United at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium on Wednesday evening (7.30pm kick-off), with a chance to stretch their lead at the summit to four points.

It has been a remarkable turnaround for Tinkler, who parted ways with Cape Town City last season amid a tough start for the Cape side but now finds himself in a far stronger position on the Premiership log in the early parts of this season.

Much of the Limpopo-based outfit’s recent success has come from smart recruitment. The arrival of striker Bradley Grobler has added a cutting edge in front of goal, with the former Bafana Bafana forward already on five strikes this campaign. 

Coupled with squad depth and fierce competition for places, Sekhukhune head into the Chilli Boys clash brimming with confidence and eager to extend their lead.

They will, however, be without defender Tsepo Matsimbi, who picked up an injury against Kaizer Chiefs in his side’s 3-1 win last week. Tinkler confirmed that the influential player faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

“Matsimbi picked up what looks like a fairly long-term injury,” Tinkler said. “He will be out for about two months, and he has been probably one of our better players so far this season.”

Tinkler rotated his side in their 1-0 win against Golden Arrows this past weekend, giving midfielder Shaune Mogaila valuable minutes and experimenting with a different system. The coach admitted he was encouraged by Mogaila’s contribution.

“I brought in Shaune, who’s had a bit of game time but not a lot, and his confidence and morale are not at the highest. To a degree I changed the system, and I didn’t go with a back four but went with a back three just to try and protect us a little bit because of the brand of football that Arrows play.

“First-half performance from Shaune — you could see that there were nerves, but the second half was much better. He put in a great cross for Bradley to score right at the death, and he also had a great chance himself to score.”

Tinkler also highlighted the importance of tactical flexibility and making selections based on the opposition. Last season’s PSL Player of the Year nominee, Keletso Makgalwa, had to start on the bench but made an impact when introduced.

“With the system that we play, not really playing with wingers, I had to rest Keletso.

“I spoke to him a couple of days ago and told him because of this system he had to sit out for this game, and he will be back when we have a back four, and that is exactly what happened. He did well when he came on; he looked more dangerous and was looking to run onto them and create a little bit of havoc,” Tinkler concluded.