Chiefs resurgency towards the end of 2006 had a lot to do with the fact that a number of The Amakhosi players hit form at the same time and for Coach Ernst Middendorp it was always going to be a matter of time before his team would begin to get the right kind of results.

Coupled with the fact that Chiefs had a team who could boast strength in depth, there could be no doubting that all it would take is one good performance to get the ball moving. Chiefs over all strength in depth was evident on a number of occasions as 2006 wound down, when Siphiwe Mkhonza stepped in to take the place of the inform Patrick Mayo, for Chiefs game against Amazulu in Durban on the sixth December.

When Mkhonza stepped in to take Mayo’s place, he was aware of the fact he would have big shoes to fill and after impressing in the game against Amazulu, Mkhonza kept his place in the team for Chiefs final three games of 2006 against Orlando Pirates, Maritzburg United and Santos. Mkhonza’s ability to step in at the time of need has gone a long way towards demonstrating the fact that Chiefs, have a strong and experienced enough squad to make a serious bid for league honours. As Mkhonza explains in an interview with www.kaizerchiefs.com, that he intends to remain a key player in Chiefs bid for a third PSL title in four seasons.

KC.COM: Siphiwe towards the end of last year you got the chance to start in the defence and you made a strong claim towards keeping your place in the starting eleven for the foreseeable future with a number of big performances?

SM: In life one needs a bit of luck and it came for me when I was drafted in to play against Amazulu at the start of December, I was well aware of the fact that I needed to put in a solid display in that game. Thankfully I played well enough to impress the coach who than stuck with me for the next three games, when I got a break and was given the nod to play it was clear that I needed to give everything I had to ensure that I kept my place for the Pirates game which was the next one after the Amazulu game. At the end of the day everything comes down to teamwork, as a defender I need to ensure that all the hard work done by the front men is not wiped away with a moment of madness. Over the last two months of 2006 our winning streak can actually be put down to a good team performance.

KC.COM: Things did not go all together well for you in the last game of 2006 against Santos, as you had to be stretched off in the first half?

SM: That is correct I slid in for a tackle on Marwan Bantam just as he was about to take a shot at goal, first of all I had the ball smack straight into the side of my head, thereafter landed up under his feet. The thing is as I go caught under his boots he thought quickly and jumped up, so I escaped getting his studs in my eye. This kind of thing happens in football it was part of the game and as a defender you expect to get a knock from time to time.

KC.COM: It said that you were concussed for a while and it took you time to figure out where you were?

SM: The funny thing is that when I left the field and went to the changing room with the doctor, I was unaware as to where I was and I was unsure whether we were playing a game or at a training session. It was only once I got to hospital that I came round and got my sense back so to speak and I then figured out what was going on.

KC.COM: This was not the first time you have picked up such an injury in a game, it has happened to you once before in your Chiefs career?

SM: Actually it happened during my first game for Chiefs against Dynamos in August 2004, when I tried block a shot from Thato Maleka and was flattened by the sheer power of the shot. I had to substituted on that occasion also, if you look at it this could be a good omen for me as we won the league that season maybe the same will ring true again.

KC.COM: Back to matters at hand on Saturday you play SuperSport United, is the team prepared for this game against a team who have in the past proven to be a tricky opposition for Chiefs?

SM: It really does not matter who you play after a few weeks off like we have just had, the key issue is to have prepared sufficiently for them as well as to feel both mentally and physically ready to face any opponent. At the present time we feel strong and are also ready for the challenge of SuperSport, our preparations recently have been thorough. SuperSport are a team who relish playing in the spot light against the so called bigger teams, there can be no doubting the talent they poses so it will be a challenging game. I do feel that it will be one that we can come away from with three points, we are at a stage in the season where we cannot drop points and we will aim to stick to this game plan when we play SuperSport on Saturday.

KC.COM: Are there any particular players in the SuperSport team who you think will need special attention?

SM: I do not think so the coach will have done his homework and will give each of us our special instructions and we will need to stick to that, when you start focusing on certain individuals you run the danger of falling into a trap. We are aware of their strengths and the kind of players they have but I don’t feel there is the need to place an emphasis on one player. The experience they posses in players such Katza, Mahoa, Mashego, Klate and new signing Michael Kambule, demonstrates that they have a number of good quality players in their ranks. SuperSport strength over the years has been built on a foundation of having a good strong team in all areas, they never did and still do not rely on one particular player.