Kaizer Chiefs' Samir Nurkovic has no garden to hone striking skills in lockdown

Kaizer Chiefs striker Samir Nurkovic has said the confined spaces of the flat he lives in makes it challenging to work on his fitness during the lockdown‚ let alone technical skills to keep his striking ability sharp.

Serb Nurkovic’s 11 goals in his first season in the Absa Premiership – three behind Orlando Pirates’ top scorer Gabadinho Mhango – were a big part of Chiefs leading the league before the national lockdown in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

As a striker‚ he would want to be trying all kinds of innovative methods to try to work with a ball in some manner to attempt to keep his striking skills vaguely sharp in case the 2019-20 season can somehow resume and Chiefs continue to press for the title.

Nurkovic told TimesLIVE that being new to South Africa he still lives in an apartment in Johannesburg‚ and has no garden‚ so such innovations are not possible.

“I think it depends on what environment the player lives in. As you know‚ I am still new to South Africa‚” Nurkovic said.

“I think it’s easier to stay fit if you have a garden to train in. I live in an apartment with not much space.

“I try to do cardio stretching and stay on top of my fitness to the best of my ability.

“But for now I think it is very important to keep strong mentally. And once I am back on the field and back to proper training everything will be easier.”

Nurkovic (27)‚ groomed at the famed academy of Serbian giants Partizan Belgrade‚ impressed from his first few matches for Chiefs at the start of the season‚ having arrived as a complete unknown from Slovakian second division outfit Komarno.

He hit the ground running with unusual speed for a foreign striker brought to the PSL‚ where an adjustment to playing style can often take players new to the league months to accomplish.

Chiefs (48 points from 22 games) had a four-point lead over second-placed defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns (44 from 21) when the PSL season was suspended on March 16.