Manyama heaps praise on midfield duo

Cape Town - Cape Town City captain Lebogang Manyama has heaped praise on defensive midfielders Mpho Matsi and Roland Putsche, who he feels form an integral part of the team.

The Mother City outfit have taken many by surprise in their first season in the Premiership following the purchase of the status of Mpumalanga Black Aces. 

Eric Tinkler's side currently occupy third spot on the league table - level on points with league-leaders SuperSport United - in addition to having defeated Stuart Baxter's side 2-1 to claim the Telkom Knockout trophy last year.

Manyama highlighted that the contribution of Matsi and Putsche allow the likes of himself, Aubrey Ngoma and Bongolethu Jayiya to play with more freedom in attacking areas.

"You have to give credit to Mpho and Roland and the guys that have played behind us - they put in a whole lot of work to give us the freedom to go forward," he told Kickoff.

"Our defence has also been great, and the only goals we have conceded have been through mistakes. I have never seen our defence opened up, and it’s all because of the work they put in, and the two that play in midfield.

"When you have players like Roland and Matsi behind you, you always feel safe when you go forward."

"They’ve done a really good job, and I feel they are the unsung heroes in the team," he concluded.

Tinkler's side next welcome a struggling Highlands Park side to the Cape Town Stadium when their league campaign resumes on February 7.

Kick off is at 19:30.