Cape Town - Chippa United coach Roger Sikhakhane was in a bullish mood following a 4-1 defeat to Orlando Pirates, insisting the Chilli Boys would finish the current campaign in the top six.
Sikhakhane steered his side to a respectable 0-0 draw against defending champions Kaizer Chiefs in their Premiership opener, but was unable to repeat that feat on Tuesday evening as the Chilli Boys slumped to a heavy defeat at Orlando Stadium.
While he was quick to praise the quality of Chippa's opponents, Sikhakhane made it clear that he expected big things from his team this season.
"I must give credit to Orlando Pirates - they fought from the first minute to the last minute and showed they need the three points more than our team," Sikhakhane said.
"We lost the game, but we have not lost everything. We will bounce back. This is not a 'Micky Mouse' team, we are going to come back strong."
He added: "The following teams will suffer the consequences.
"Chiefs and Pirates are gone, I think that all the remaining teams we are on the same standard. Maybe 10 of those teams we are far better than them.
"You can write this down now and you can remind me at the end of the season. This team will not be out of the top six."