New captain Brandon Petersen aiming for CAF Confederation Cup group stage glory

FRESH FROM officially being confirmed as the captain of Kaizer Chiefs, goalkeeper Brandon Petersen assured the Amakhosi faithful that the team is ready to do them proud by taking the club into the group stage of the CAF Confederation Cup.

Chiefs host the Democratic Republic of Congo’s AS Simba in a preliminary round second leg stage at Dobsonville on Sunday with the tie hanging precariously following a goalless draw in Lubumbashi last weekend.

But the goalkeeper who took over the skipper’s armband during the midweek 0-0 draw against Siwelele FC believes that just as they did in the previous round, Chiefs will prevail on home soil.

“We know what’s at stake, we want to go to the group stages and our minds’ are set on the target to make it to the group stage. We came back home from (Angola, where they’d lost 1-0 to Kabuscorp) and pulled back (they levelled the tie via a 1-0 win) and won on penalties.," said Petersen.  

"Congo was a good experience and we managed to get a good result because coming out with a draw I see it as a positive result. This weekend, I don’t see a reason for us not going through.”

The fact that the Chiefs attack has been as blunt as a butter knife in recent matches is not a source of concern for the shot-stopper who is pleased by the fact that they’ve been defensively solid. After all, keeping a clean sheet is going to be of utmost importance for Amakhosi on Sunday.

“Like I said, we know what’s at stake. For us, it will be to start the game strong to make sure we stamp our authority early on in the game and make them know we are not conceding today. We all know what to do – don’t concede but make sure we get early goals.

“I think defensively, from the start of the season, we’ve done well. We have been pretty solid defensively so far, so we must stay consistent. I know our attackers have been under pressure and scrutiny but we have been creating a lot of chances. We must just get the confidence to start scoring and once we get that right, it’s (the goals) gonna keep coming.”

The first leg match has given them a good idea of what they will be up against at a venue that will be a bit foreign to them though it is likely to give them that 12th man advantage – the small size of Dobsonville Stadium set to ensure that if the usual 15 to 20 000 crowd they get at the FNB Stadium will be massive.

“They (AS Simba) are a very aggressive team; very physical and I think last week we created a few chances coming from the side in the spaces they leave at the back. We know what we want to do; we plan to continue where we left off and just make sure the ball is in the back of the net.”

The fact that he now has the captain's armband does not change much for him, Petersen says.

“Obviously being one of the captains of the club is an honour and a privilege. But we’ve always had the captains’ committee of two or three players where everything goes through them. At the moment I have the armband but we still have the captains’ committee that talks and discusses with the coaches. I have the armband but it does not change much because we are still doing what we've been doing.”

Petersen will do well though to learn very quickly that as the official skipper a lot will be expected of him in terms of leadership and he would do well to lead Chiefs into the group stages to give the club’s fans the confidence that he can emulate his highly-decorated predecessors in Itumeleng Khune and Brian Baloyi – goalkeepers who captained Amakhosi to numerous glories.