Kaizer Chiefs DDC assistant coach Dillon Sheppard has spoken about how winning the DStv Diski Challenge title would possibly influence the first team.
Amakhosi have been struggling for silverware for years, with their last trophy win dating back to the 2014/15 season when they lifted the MTN8 and Absa Premiership titles under Stuart Baxter.
Since that season, the club has been led by nine different coaches, none of whom were able to lift silverware. This season, Chiefs appointed Nasreddine Nabi, who arrived with his technical team, tasked with bringing the glory days back to Naturena.
The Soweto giants have had an inconsistent run under the Tunisian tactician this season as they are looking to turn the corner.
During the DDC Roundtable in Durban, Sheppard admitted that winning the DDC title would have a positive influence on the Chiefs senior team led by Nabi. This came in response to a question about the potential impact of reserve team success on the first team.
SHEPPARD HOPES THAT WINNING DDC TITLE WILL HELP ENCOURAGE CHIEFS FIRST TEAM
“It would be huge to win the DDC after ten years [of its establishment], it will contribute and help towards the first team, that would be great,” said Sheppard.
“Remember, we all represent the club. So we are going to push to win and hopefully that has a little bit of an influence in the first team.”
Chiefs’ DDC side, with a game in hand, is currently at the summit of the league standings with 61 points from 25 matches so far.
Should they emerge as champions, it would be their first DDC title since the competition’s inception in 2014. While they haven’t won the league, they did secure the MultiChoice Diski Shield competition twice, in 2018 and 2022.
Meanwhile, Chiefs senior team is in eighth position on the Betway Premiership table having accumulated only 31 points from 25 matches. And looking to end a ten-year trophy drought, they will be aiming to beat Orlando Pirates in the Nedbank Cup final on 10 May at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.
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