Johannebzurg - Mamelodi Sundowns skipper Esrom Nyandoro has come out in strong defence of his coach Hristo Stoichkov, saying he has done well and deserves more time at the helm of the club.

Stoichkov's future as Downs mentor remains uncertain after he failed to land the coveted league title in his first season in charge of the cash-rich club.

But Nyandoro has no doubts that Stoichkov has the ability to lead the club to glory, and suggests that firing him will be a major setback for the club.

"Personally, I think he should continue as our coach. I'm sure everyone will agree that he did a wonderful job especially considering it was his first season in the PSL," the Zimbabwean told Football365.co.za.

"For once, we need continuity at Sundowns. We've always had coaches coming in and going at the end of every season and obviously when a new coach comes they bring in a new system and that means we start afresh as a team.

"It will only be fair if we give him another chance because he did a wonderful job. He deserves to stay in that job."

Stoichkov, who was appointed following a disastrous 2008/09 campaign, became the fourth coach at the Tshwane outfit in two years last June.

"The coach did well under the circumstances. Look, he was given a squad with a large pool of quality players to pick from within a short space of time and obviously it takes time to be able to come out with a winning line-up," he added.

"I know it's disappointing to have failed to win the title because at Sundowns finishing second is just like finishing in position 11.

"A team like Sundowns is always expected to challenge for the league title every season. I mean, we have the best players in the league, but, overall, I think everyone tried their best but unfortunately we failed to win the league title."