Khune says he never lost hope of regaining the Chiefs No 1 spot

Kaizer Chiefs captain Itumeleng Khune says he never lost hope of regaining the No 1 spot at the club.

Over the past few seasons, a combination of injuries and off-field issues saw former Bafana Bafana captain Khune lose the goalkeeper's position that was indisputably his to Bruce Bvuma, Brandon Peterson and now-departed Daniel Akpeyi.

This season, under coach Arthur Zwane, Khune’s fortunes seem to have changed significantly and he now has two appearances in succession in the DStv Premiership after he featured against AmaZulu and Marumo Gallants.

He was also in goal during the MTN8 quarterfinal clash against Stellenbosch where Amakhosi prevailed 4-5 on penalties and Khune was hero of the shoot-out with two saves, a match he said physically challenged him as he took a few days to recover.

“It never crossed my mind,” was his forthright answer when asked whether he lost hope when he was not part of the team.

“I knew if I got my opportunity again, whether now or in the future, I would use it to my advantage because I know how tough it is to lose the No 1 spot. I also know how sensitive the goalkeeping position is.

“In the goalkeeping department, you cannot chop and change or play a goalkeeper one game and he skips the next match. The No 1 position is critical and it is crucial for whoever is the No 1 at a particular time to keep his position.

“I am happy that now after three seasons and having struggled for game time I have been able to play three games in a row.”

As battling, 14th-placed Chiefs prepared to take on SuperSport United in their important DStv Premiership match on Saturday night at FNB Stadium, Khune is hoping to continue being Zwane’s last line of defence.

“I am looking forward to keeping the No 1 spot for a long time because I always say goalkeepers mature like fine wine. At 35, I think I still have a long way to go and I still want to enjoy my football.

“To be honest, it never crossed my mind that I was going to lose hope. I just kept on pushing myself and working hard on and off the field to make sure I stayed hungry to play more games.”

In his first appearance of the season against Stellenbosch, Khune said he was physically challenged by the match as it went all the way to penalties.

“For the past three seasons I didn’t play many games and the body was not used to that. After playing for 120 minutes against Stellenbosch, it took me four days to recover fully even though I was doing ice baths and using all the recovery methods you can think of.

“It took me close to four days to recover fully, but now the body is slowly getting back to recovering after a day or two or after every match and hopefully I will keep the No 1 spot for a long time.

“Thanks to my wife and everyone who have been pushing me. I have been doing extra work at home and I think that has also pushed me to continue doing more and I feel young again.”

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