Lentjies hails Barker impact

Cape Town - Kurt Lentjies has applauded the contribution of coach Clive Barker since his arrival at Maritzburg United.

After beating Jomo Cosmos in the Telkom Knockout - his first game in charge - the former Bafana Bafana boss struggled to get his team going in the Absa Premiership.

But they came close to overcoming Kaizer Chiefs in a 1-1 draw this past weekend, a result that followed their first win of the league campaign against University of Pretoria.

Lentjies says it has taken some time for the veteran mentor to get his message across since he replaced Mandla Ncikazi, but believes it has now happened.

"Coach Clive has been positive from day one," he said.

"His contributions are definitely paying off. The guys are working as a team so things are progressing well."

Lentjies, one of the standout players for the league's bottom club, feels the team has tried to remain positive despite having to wait ten games for their first three points of the season.

"We were always positive," he added.

"So of course the mood is great now. We need to start picking up points quickly to get out of it."