Kaizer Chiefs have been boosted ahead of the Maritzburg United clash following the return of Captain and no. 1 goalkeeper, Itumeleng ‘Spider’ Khune to training.

The Ventersdorp born goalkeeper was given time off following the passing away of his sister and missed the trip to Bidvest Stadium on Firday, 19 October 2012 , where Chiefs got an early exit out of the Telkom Knockout, a competition where Khune made his name back in 2007.

“I am excited to be back training with my teammates. I had not trained for six days but I felt that I was able to match my teammates at training without any problems,” he told kaizerchiefs.com with a smile.

“The guys were obviously down following the defeat but we all know that the most important thing when you are down is dusting yourself up and bouncing back and we aim to do this on Friday against Maritzburg United.

“They are obviously high in confidence having done well in the league so far and also having advanced to the next stage of the Telkom Knockout. We are going out there to give our best.

Khune thanked all for their support following the bereavement in his family; “There is no need for me to dwell on what has happened. I have accepted it and now it is time to move on. This would not have been possible without support from my family, the Kaizer Chiefs Family and supporters. Thank you for all your prayers.

Khune also joined the millions of South Africans in paying tribute to the late Thomas Madigage; “It is a huge loss for football in South Africa. Thomas was a legend who gave his all for football in South Africa.

I found him as someone who was very close to the players, humble and committed to the cause. I remember him coming up to me in Brazil. He could not believe how tall I was. He told me that he thought that he was taller than me.

He was also a fun person to be with and an inspiration to the players because of the way he carried himself. He never boasted about winning the league three times as an assistant coach at SuperSport United. I was shocked by his passing as I was still dealing with the loss of my sister”

I would like to send my heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and all those who knew and worked with him,” added Khune.