Lentjies calls for team effort to beat the axe

Chippa United coach Kurt Lentjies will be searching for his first DStv Premiership victory when they visit Sekhukhune United at Peter Mokaba Stadium tomorrow (3.30pm).

In two matches he has been in charge since replacing Morgan Mammila, Lentjies lost 0-2 to AmaZulu in the league before beating Mpheni Home Defenders in the Nedbank Cup last 16.

And ahead of their visit to Polokwane tomorrow, with only three points separating the Chilli Boys (13th) and Sekhukhune (11) on the log table, Lentjies feels should they come together as a group, they can get away from the relegation zone.

“This is a very important encounter for us, so we are looking forward to that,” Lentjies said.

“We need to come together as a group. We can’t just rely on one individual, it has to be a group effort to get where we are at the moment.

“We went through this stage last season fighting for our lives, but this season is a bit different, so I would not say we are looking behind us. We are looking above us and what we can achieve.”

The 38-year-old also believes his players are now understanding his philosophy and that the most important thing is to get the season done in a safe place.

“As much as we are still in the Nedbank Cup, for me every single football match is important. We want to get maximum points and go through to the next round,” he said.

“We can’t look at any fixture and say we will be satisfied with a draw, I always set up my team not to draw. We want to build that winning mentality knowing that results have not been coming in the last couple of months.”

Meanwhile, Sekhukhune coach Brandon Truter expects a difficult encounter from Chippa, especially after they made changes in their technical team.

“Chippa is a tricky team to play against at this stage because they have changed coaches recently and the last time they did that with Morgan Mammila coming in, they won four in a row,” Truter said.

“So, there is a new coach now with Kurt, so it is a very tough match we are expecting at home. But with our record at home, we want to pick up three points and it is a must win."