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Johannesburg - Having watched Kaizer Chiefs secure the Absa Premiership title in Polokwane on Wednesday, Platinum Stars coach Cavin Johnson is confident his side can hold onto second position, capping a successful season for the high-flying Rustenburg outfit.
Chiefs moved four points clear of Stars following their 1-1 draw with SuperSport United, and Johnson's troops meet SuperSport in Phokeng on Saturday for their final match of the season.
"Kaizer Chiefs won the league and well done to them," Johnson said.
"We will fight for the next game against SuperSport and hopefully we will stay second on the log.
"Ask me in future years if I am going to win the league and I will say 'yes', based on the ethos we built this season.
Stars, who led third-placed Orlando Pirates by a single point ahead of the final round of fixtures, will have a tough assignment against Matsatsantsa, who have drawn 17 of their 29 games this season.
A draw for Dikwena and a win for Pirates against bottom-half outfit Maritzburg United would see Johnson's side slip down to third, but he believed his players knew what needed to be done.
"I don't put any pressure on my players, the pressure was only to play football," Johnson said.
"I think we've done that and always tried to do that the whole year through.
"I'm only here to push them along in order to make the league better to watch.
"We've upped our game as a club and improved our football and that's really pleasing."
Reflecting on Stars' campaign, Johnson felt they could be proud of their achievements, after reaching the semi-finals of the Nedbank Cup - where they were defeated by SuperSport in extra-time - and challenging all the way to the final week of the league season.
"We started off by wanting to build an ethos for the club and I think they (Stars players) superseded all those expectations," he said.
"They've ended up in the semi-final of the Nedbank Cup and they've ended up chasing the league title."
