Chippa coach: 'I hardly know some of the names of the boys'

Cape Town - Chippa United coach Norman Mapeza admitted after the 1-0 victory over Bloemfontein Celtic that he is still trying to learn all his players' names.

Mapeza's tenure got off to a winning start in the Telkom Knockout on Tuesday and said the victory would be an important confidence-booster for the side.

"This was important for the players in terms of their confidence-building," said the Zimbabwean tactician as quoted SowetanLIVE website.

"They had played eight matches without a victory‚ so it’s a very important win for us.

"It was never going to be easy to motivate players after eight matches without a win. It’s like telling someone who has lost his parents that they need to move on with their life. That takes time.

"We need to work extra hard because we are still in the woods; we are not out of the woods yet.

"Our main objective remains avoiding relegation. But that’s not taking anything away from this win. We needed this to boost the confidence for these boys

"This is my third week now so I cannot judge the performance‚ only the ones who have been here before (me) can judge.

"I hardly know some of the names of the boys so all I have been able to try and work on their self-belief.

"But I’m happy with the performance although I do feel there are areas we need to work on‚” he added after Lehlogonolo Masalesda's 79th-minute goal ensured the win.

"In the last few minutes, we couldn’t manage the game. But the bigger picture is we still need to work on our organisation‚ from the defence‚ midfield and going forward.

"Let's keep working‚ let’s have discipline‚ let’s have determination‚ dedication."

- TeamTalk Media