Cape Town City coach Eric Tinkler has warned his charges against complacency after “a massive win” against Kaizer Chiefs, which stretched their unbeaten run to 10-matches.
Saturday’s 2-1 win over Amakhosi means the Capetonians are yet to lose a game in 2022, and Tinkler is elated they have “basically guaranteed ourselves a top-eight finish which was the most important factor”.
However, he believes they could potentially finish second if they continue working hard.
“The team has responded extremely well since the start of the second half of the season. It would be massive for us; our objective is to finish in the top four, but where we currently see ourselves, it’s up to us; we know they [Royal AM] need to drop points. We’ve given ourselves a chance to finish in the top four,” Tinkler said.
He is aware that the final four fixtures against Chippa United on Wednesday, TS Galaxy on Saturday, AmaZulu [14 May] and Stellenbosch [21 May] will not be easy.
“The last four games will not be easy, irrespective of the fact that they [Royal AM] have difficult games. Whomever you play now is fighting for maximum points. It’s very important that we don’t allow complacency to set in, which is always a threat, especially after a big win like this. The celebrations go on for a long and Wednesday [against Chippa]; you don’t pitch up,” he said.
Royal AM plays Maritzburg, Orlando Pirates, Golden Arrows and Mamelodi Sundowns in their remaining fixtures.
Tinkler believes the harmony in his squad has been the game changer following the Citizens’ good results. City have picked up six victories and four draws in the DStv Premiership, placing them third on the log with 44 points.
“The unity amongst everyone at the club right now is very high. Fresh faces, some hunger, some desire and our intensity in training has increased threefold. You can see the performances on the field,” Tinkler said.
“The guys are hungry; they want to win and achieve what we want at Cape Town City.”
