Monday saw the start of a new week for us as we laboured through two intensive training sessions in soaring temperatures, as things began to reach boiling point with the mercury rising and summer well under way.

The heat has been turned up for us in another way, with our quest to catch the league leaders and hopefully over take them at some point in the New Year.

For now we begin a very important fortnight which sees us playing four matches in around about fifteen days, with the hope being not to drop points in any of our games, leading up to the 21st December when we break for the holiday’s as we aim to narrow down the gap between us and the table toppers.

While we will be in action twice in the coming week we had no games last week, which allowed us to lay the groundwork in terms of our preparations for the busy fortnight ahead.

We used the time last week to train intensively as we did a lot of technical and tactical work, which will come in handy for us over the next couple of weeks.

We really took advantage of the time we had last week and it helped to us to kick up a gear in terms of our training programme, as our training regime will definitely be hampered this week.

As we travel to Durban and back so having no matches last week as helped us work on our tactics and fitness, which I am really happy that we had the opportunity to do.

As most of the country awoke on Monday morning, they would not have needed any reminding that come Saturday’s the focus of the nation will be, at the FNB Stadium when we face up to our Soweto neighbours Orlando Pirates.

While the newspapers, radios and televisions stations have begun punting the big derby, I feel it would be unwise for us to begin thinking of all things black and white just yet.

For now our minds are fixed on gaining our third straight league victory when we meet Amazulu in Durban on Wednesday evening, as it would the tonic needed to boost our confidence ahead of Saturday’s meeting with Pirates.

I will not be divulging into any talk around Pirates today, as I will be sticking with my old stance of taking things one game at a time.

For the moment all I have on my mind is Wednesday evenings game against Amazulu, which I feel provides us with the perfect opportunity to mow down the points gap between us and the likes of Silver Stars and Bidvest Wits.

I do feel that given current form and results that we should be able to pick up another three valuable points in Chatsworth on Wednesday evening, but we should not be over confident which can lead to our own undoing.

Amazulu are going through a number of off field problems and as I read in a Sunday paper the Sheriffs Office in a public auction on The 13th December will auction off the club.

I do feel that regardless of what might be going on away from the field of play, any team is still buoyed by the visit of Chiefs and I am sure the likes of John Shoes Moshoeu, who has played a very important part in the Amazulu, set up.

Will be relishing the prospect of coming face to face with his former team mates, it is worth noting that while Amazulu are languishing second from bottom in the league standings.

Shoes Moshoeu on an individual level has been playing some good football. He has used his experience on a number of occasions so far this campaign with good effect to help Amazulu earn some hard fought points.

Most notably against defending league Champions Mamelodi Sundowns on the opening day of the season, when he helped frustrate The Brazilians as they played to a goalless draw.

In October he was on target in the Kwa Zulu Natal derby as Amazulu and Maritzburg United played to an entertaining 2-2 draw in Pietermaritzburg.

Another former Chiefs player who will be looking to turn on the heat against us will be defender Martin Carelse, who like Shoes has also been amongst the bright sparks in Amazulu’s season.

With regards to our preparations for Wednesday’s game we will be travelling down to Durban early on Tuesday, as we aim to get acclimatized to the hot and humid conditions experienced at this time of the year in Durban.

When it comes to what the make up of the squad for the game will be I will mull over it today and sometime on Tuesday, as we have been besought by two rather serious injuries.

The first being that of our captain Cyril Nzama who is experiencing difficulty with a hamstring injury, which he picked up during training last week.

The likelihood at this stage is that he will not be making the journey to Durban, joining him on the side lines for the Amazulu game could be striker Shaun Bartlett.

Shaun had some damage done to his ankle in our recent victory over Black Leopards; he still seems to be experiencing some discomfort.

We will monitoring both of them closely at this stage I have resigned myself to not having them for Wednesday’s game, we are working on trying to have them ready for Saturday’s match against Pirates.

For the moment that it is all although I will keep you informed on Friday as to our plans and ideas the day before our game against Pirates, which I am sure most of you are looking forward to.

I will say one thing about the Pirates game and that is if you have not purchased your ticket for the game yet go out and purchase them before they get sold out.

All the way to victory, yours 4 Life

Ernst Middendorp