Chippa United coach Kurt Lentjies was happy for the Chilli Boys to be back in action against AmaTuks in their Nedbank Cup match on Friday, but was left frustrated at not getting anything from the game.
The Chilli Boys held the host for at least 80 minutes with a draw, but suffered heartbreak as Tuks scored two goals within two minutes to secure their victory at Tuks Stadium on Friday afternoon.
Chippa, who were the runners-up in last year’s campaign, became the first team to be knocked out this year—but Lentjies says he’ll take the loss and shift the focus to the league.
“Obviously, tough loss, but like I said earlier also, we are just happy that the league is starting now again because obviously, after a long break is very difficult for the players to get back to full fitness,” he told club’s media department.
“So, fortunately enough, we started with a cup, a cup game which we didn’t obviously want to lose, but okay, that’s water under the bridge, these things happen.
“And then yeah, we have another game on Monday to focus on which is on the league, so now our focus will be solely on the league matches since we’re not competing in Cup matches anymore.
“Just lack of concentration at certain levels of them (players) at certain times of the game, but we were not on our best today, but it’s normal. Like I said, we haven’t played competitive matches last season since last year.
“So it’s normal for the players that they act this way, like I said, I’m just happy the league started to play some football again.”
Chippa will need to regroup fast as they face Mamelodi Sundowns in a league match on Monday at Loftus Stadium at 19:30.
