‘When it’s 15 wins we can talk’: Johnson stays grounded as Chiefs win again

Kaizer Chiefs' interim coach Cavin Johnson was relieved to see his side beat Polokwane City, a team he said troubled Amakhosi because of their awkward system of pumping the ball forward and playing off the second ball. 

Pule Mmodi's strike early in the second half gave Chiefs a 1-0 win at Peter Mokaba Stadium, as back-to-back DStv Premiership victories keep them in the top half of the table despite having already lost six times in 14 outings. Amakhosi beat Moroka Swallows by the same margin at Dobsonville Stadium in their previous game. 

“They [Polokwane] play a long ball and they run. For us coming from Johannesburg, sometimes the Polokwane heat is a bit different,” Johnson said.

“We didn't play our best football but we were able to identify that you can play or you can win against this type of opposition.”

Chiefs struggled to create clear-cut opportunities in the first half, but Mmodi's 51st-minute goal, taken with his right foot after cutting in from the left flank, gave Amakhosi the full spoils.

Johnson said it was important that Chiefs won playing against a side that did not allow them to play the way they wanted to.

“We have to go home and say, 'How do we play against a team that plays like this?' because there could be other teams that play similarly, play the long ball and play on the second ball. We need to able to able to do that and also make sure we are able to keep on stitching a Kaizer Chiefs cloth.” 

Johnson did not want to elevate their second win on the trot to something more than it is, preferring to say: “I think we're doing a good job. When it's 15 wins then we can talk.”