Chippa United turn to Brandon Truter in bid to avoid relegation drama

Truter has been without a coaching role for the past year following his departure from Upington City in the Motsepe Foundation Championship and is now eager for a return to the dugout. 

But the experienced mentor faces the immediate challenge of helping the Chilli Boys secure their Betway Premiership status.

The Eastern Cape outfit have already undergone four coaching changes this season, starting the campaign under Sinethemba Badela before turning to Luc Eymael, then Vusumuzi Vilakazi, who was sacked last week with assistant coach Hlanga Dikeni overseeing the team in recent matches.

Chippa suffered a 2-0 defeat at home against Golden Arrows on Saturday, sending panic to the hierarchy ahead of their season finale against Chiefs. 

Truter was spotted taking charge of training on Monday afternoon, with expectations growing that a short-term agreement will soon be finalised and discussions over a longer stay are likely to depend on whether the club retains its topflight status.

READ: Magesi banking on home advantage for survival

Chippa remain in danger of slipping into the promotion/relegation playoffs should they lose to Chiefs this weekend and other results involving teams around them fail to go in their favour. 

In that scenario, Truter would then have six more matches to guide the club to safety in a mini-league involving Cape Town City and Milford FC. 

Kruger United have already secured automatic promotion to the Premiership after winning the second tier with several matches to spare. 

Truter is regarded as a specialist in survival battles, having previously helped several clubs avoid relegation, while also guiding Moroka Swallows back to the top flight. 

His coaching CV also includes spells with AmaZulu, Sekhukhune United and Richards Bay in the topflight league. 

Attempts to contact his agent Basia Michaels proved futile before publish.