Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper, Brandon Petersen doesn’t plan too big of a shake-up after being appointed captain of the Club last week. The 31-year-old has been a visible motivator on the field, as well as the sidelines for some time and his natural leadership tendencies made him an appropriate choice for the Amakhosi hierarchy.

“To be one of the captains of the Club is an honour and a privilege,” he says, “We have always had a captains committee of a few players. At the moment I have the armband but we still have our leadership group where we discuss issues and speak with the coaches, so nothing much has changed.”

He adds, “Personally for me, it’s about leading by example on the field and also being a link between the players and the coaches. The most important thing though, is to lead with action, not just words.”

Amakhosi have come under criticism for a lack of goals this season while, defensively, they have shown a marked improvement from last season and Petersen feels it’s only a matter of time until they click up front.

“I think we have done quite well so far this season. For me, it’s about maintaining consistency,” he says, “I know our attack has come under scrutiny but we have created a lot of chances so I don’t think we need to change too much, just keep trying to be more clinical and the confidence will grow once a few chances are put away.

“We can’t afford to allow that to affect us and frustrate us,” he continues, “Despite not making some of our opportunities count we must have the mentality to persevere relentlessly in the belief that it will come good. We have proven we can get through difficult situations and it’s up to us to continue to believe I ourselves, the team and the process. We are competing to our best ability for everything that’s at stake.”

Petersen leads the Club into Sunday’s TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup second preliminary round second-leg against AS Simba from the Democratic Republic of Congo at Dobsonville stadium with the tie level after the first-leg in Lubumbashi ended 0-0, and with the away goals rule in effect, he is well aware that a keeping a clean sheet is as crucial as scoring at the other end.

“We know exactly what we need to do and first of all will be not to concede, but also to have a strong start and get some early goals,” he says, “They were aggressive and physical but still I think we made some good chances from out wide where they left space. We have a plan for Sunday but I don’t want to give any secrets away.”

The match at Dobsonville stadium kicks off at 15:00 on Sunday, 26 October.