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After scoring his eighth goal of the season, Chippa United coach Kurt Lentjies insists that striker Etiosa Ighodaro is among the best forwards in the DStv Premiership.
The Nigerian helped the Chilli Boys earn a point away from home when he equalised in their 1-1 draw against Sekhukhune United on Saturday.
Lentjies didn’t want to single out players, but can’t ignore Ighodaro’s contribution.
"He's a quality striker, to single him out. I don't like to talk about individuals but he's a quality striker. He hasn't scored eight goals as a fluke and I think he will continue scoring in the next seven games as well," he said.
Ighodaro is in good company – it’s only the Mamelodi Sundowns duo of Peter Shalulile (11) and Cassius Mailula (9) as well as SuperSport United striker Bradley Grobler (9) who have scored more goals than him in the league.
But Lentjies has a concern.
"But my concern is that we are too reliant on him. We need to find another way and another combination just to take that load of him. Once the load is of him, I think he will play more freely and score more goals. We need other guys to chip in as well," he added.
With the next two weeks allocated to the FIFA break and international duty, Lentjies will work on improving the squad to pull further away from the drop zone.
Chippa are five points clear of the automatic relegation spot with seven games remaining.
"I believe in the quality that we have; we can match those teams. Yes, the form dipped a bit obviously in the new year but as much as those are top-quality sides, I believe in the young guys. We are also a top-quality side and we can match them, no doubt about that," he concluded.
