The lightening of the injury load will most definitely be welcome news for Ernst Middendorp as Chiefs prepare for a crunch league game this weekend against Jomo Cosmos. Having had to contend with six players out last week the tide has turned as most of the players on the injured list, have made strides towards getting back to full fitness.

What will particularly please the Chiefs coach is the fact that striker Rotson Kilambe, who began full training this past Saturday, makes a comeback from a knee injury which has laid Chiefs SAA Supa8 Cup Final hero low since the 9th December.

Kilambe has passed through four days of intensive training unscathed and is not showing any signs of discomfort. His near perfect recovery was welcomed by Ernst Middendorp who added; “I am satisfied with the way Rotson has progressed since he began the normal training regime with the rest of the guys on Saturday, he was his normal self again getting involved in the thick of the action”.

According to Middendorp, Kilambe’s imminent return will be a shot in the arm for Chiefs ahead of this weekend’s game against Jomo Cosmos in Orkney.

“Cosmos have a number of strong physical players who love to fight opponents off the ball. Rotson has a similar physique to a number of the Cosmos players and he too can play a very physical game, having him as an option up front will allow us to be just as competitive in the final third of the field as we were in the Benoni game,” he said.

The player himself feels that he is physically and mentally up to the challenge of facing Cosmos on Sunday should he be given a run out against Ezenkosi, after being out of action for six weeks Kilambe is of the opinion that he needs to be well prepared in order to make a meaningful contribution to the team upon his return.

Kilambe said; “when you are out of action for a long period of time like I have been it can affect your confidence, but thankfully for me while I was out I had good support from the medical team who helped me work hard at getting back to full fitness, they also helped motivate an kept me focused towards making a successful recovery.

”At the moment I am feeling really great I do not have any pain in my knee and am really hopeful, that if I can play against Cosmos that I will be able to help the team wins the game.”

In other injury news defender Ditheko Mototo, who sat out Sunday’s win over Benoni Premier United as he was nursing a knee injury, has also made a return to training and according to the Chiefs medical team should be available to play in the Cosmos game. Unfortunately though the news for defender Fabian McCarthy is not very positive as the calf injury he picked up in last weeks goalless draw has not healed sufficiently enough, for him to begin any kind of training.

Instead McCarthy will undergo a scan later on Wednesday, according to Chiefs Physiotherapist David Milner it might be another week before McCarthy could start running. For the moment the Chiefs number six will be contained to training in the gym over the next week or so, and he will be given a special programme to assist him with his rehabilitation process.