There are only three games left to play this year, two for the league (away against Maritzburg United, 21 November, and home away from home against BidVest Wits, 19 December) and one cup match, the Telkom Knockout final against Mamelodi Sundowns on 16 December.

“All three are important,” stresses Siphiwe Tshabalala. “Points are at stake for the league. We want to finish 2015 on a high, getting into the Top 3 on the Absa Premiership log.”

The Chiefs captain celebrated his 25th PSL Derby in the recent Telkom Knockout semi-final win over Orlando Pirates: “I already had the record of the number of Soweto Derbies played, but to have extended this even further is a great honour.”

“It helped, of course, that we won, reaching the Telkom Knockout final. To have reached another final is special. We showed character.”

About the upcoming final, Tshabalala says: “We missed out on the MTN8. We want to lift the Telkom Knockout trophy and if we show our usual work ethic and play as a unit, we can do it. We still owe the Chairman a birthday present.”

It was Kaizer Chiefs Chairman Kaizer Motaung’s 71st birthday on 16 October, while the club will celebrate its 46th anniversary on 7 January.

The Amakhosi captain is having a fine season, having already scored twice and provided eight assists in league and cup games.

Chiefs are at present in fifth position on the Absa Premiership with 17 points from 10 matches.

The last clash this year will take place in Cape Town, against BidVest Wits, on Saturday, 19 December.