Vladislav Heric delighted with Chippa United’s fighting spirit

Chippa United coach Vladislav Heric was impressed by the mental toughness of his players in their 1-0 win over Stellenbosch FC and will give them time off to recuperate.

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The Chilli Boys gave their DStv Premiership survival chances a much-needed boost with the win over Stellies – their second league win in succession.

Heric also revealed after the match that his charges are struggling with fatigue and will be given a few days off before returning to training refreshed.

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“We are going to take two days off,” said Heric, according to Sowetan.

“I have to rest the players for two days and then we will come back on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and see how it goes.

“Friday we’ll train.”

On the match itself, he added: “We left everything on this field to win these three points which are vital to us.

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“We did not play an attractive game today, but we got the three points which is very crucial to us, especially in the second half.

“After the 1-0 lead we went into defensive mode completely and we waited on counters.

“We tried to refresh the front line and the sides.

“However we have to understand that the players played three games and it was very difficult for us.

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“Especially for our left and right backs. I couldn’t replace them because I had to press on the middle of the park.

“I put fresh and young players in that position and I am happy with those engagements.

“I am very happy to see the commitment of the players and the fighting spirit. I do believe we are going to have the same fighting spirit for the next game, which is the cup final.”

The win against Stellenbosch FC moved Chippa United to 14th place in the standings with 24 points after 26 matches.

They are two points ahead of TTM and the relegation zone, but have played two more matches.

They will next be in action in the Nedbank Cup final against, co-incidentally, TTM, on Saturday, 8 May at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein.

Kick-off is at 18:00.