A resurgent David Mathebula has helped The Amakhosi step up into the top eight slots in the league. With another tough and challenging encounter on the horizon against Mamelodi Sundowns on the weekend, the nimble footed midfielder feels that he will be up to the task of ensuring that Chiefs continue on with their winning habit.

Mathebula’s has spearheaded a Chiefs renaissance and has become somewhat of a target man, as the opposition try to limit his influence on the outcome of matches. He does though feel that being the man pin pointed as the danger man, has meant that he has to lift his game and believes that he has.

Up for it

With Mathebula exerting his influence on matches in recent times he is well aware that opposing teams will use various means to halt him, his response to this is “over these last few matches I have become of a target” Mathebula adds. He went on say “initially I was concerned about how I would cope with the extra pressure of having some one trying to stop me at every turn in a match. Gradually I have been able to work with being the target man and it has actually motivated me to get better and better, against Swallows I really felt what it was like. Tackles were flying in and they did what they needed to ensure that not just me but that our midfield in general would be subdued, the things is if I believe that I am a good player I need to prove it by dealing with this kind of pressure”.

Sunshine

Mathebula was distraught after Chiefs recent defeat in the Nedbank Cup to Sundowns and feels that the Brazilians will want to prove on Sunday that their victory a fortnight ago was no fluke. Chiefs though have ambitions of their own and will want to lay that defeat to rest with a win on Sunday.

Mathebula said, “it would be wrong for us to think that Sundowns will be more focused on the Nedbank Cup, that could not be further from the truth. Just like us they would like to improve on their position on the league standings and will want to get three points, we on the other hand will not want to drop back out of the top eight and instead need to climb to up. Two teams neither willing to back down will definitely make for an interesting match up, we learnt a number of lessons from the Nedbank Cup match and will not make the same mistakes again”.