The tenure of new Kaizer Chiefs interim head coach Cavin Johnson may have started on a sour note but a handful of positives will have uplifted his spirits.
Amakhosi fell to Golden Arrows at the Mpumalanga Stadium on Saturday, as Johnson began life at the helm of the Soweto Giants with a whimper.
Chiefs dominated proceedings for huge chunks of a rain-influenced battle, registering 11 goal attempts to Arrows’ six whilst controlling the ball possession.
Johnson and his men were applauded off the pitch with the rain bucketing down despite losing the encounter 2-1, an interaction that pleased the experienced mentor.
The 64-year-old embraced the gesture made by the club's supporters whilst suggesting that they may have enjoyed the type of football his team displayed on the day.
“That is the love of Kaizer Chiefs, that is what I felt walking into the village, the love one man has built and nurtured for many years and that out there shows you that people love this team,” he said.
“It also shows you that yes they love the team but also maybe we did play a little bit of the brand of football that all of us are used to seeing therefore we have one foot in the right direction and the other will come.”
One of the biggest challenges the club has faced in recent weeks has been the inconsistency of their goalkeeping department with regular No 1 Brandon Peterson and club captain Itumeleng Khune rotating frequently.
Peterson, however, was once again guilty of another howler against Abafana Bes’thende, failing to sort out his footwork in time to deal with a back pass and letting Knox Mutizwa score into an open net.
Johnson jumped to protect the under-pressure Bafana Bafana international and stated that
Peterson would not be crucified for mistakes made under the previous coaches.
“The way I see it now is, he's gotta come back, he's made a mistake and that's the only mistake I look at because from now, every mistake is my mistake.
“I’ll take the blame for everything that happened today if you asked me about yesterday, I wasn't there,” he told the media.
Amakhosi have 11 points after 10 games of the season played and next face struggling Cape Town Spurs at FNB Stadium in two weeks.
@ScribeSmiso