SuperSport United going for top eight after relegation boost

Incredibly, Matsatsantsa are just four points from the top bracket, and still have four games left to try and achieve their goal.

The former Bafana Bafana shot stopper says he will accept nothing less.

"It's crazy isn't it, crazy, you're busy fighting relegation, but on the other hand, you are four points out of the top eight. So, when I took over the team, one of the first questions I asked the players, do they think we can make the top eight and all of a sudden the penny dropped and they realised exactly what we are saying, we are actually not far from the top eight,” Arendse said.

“For me, that has to be the goal, I don't entertain any talk around my team, my camp about relegation, I don't entertain it because this team, as many people would have seen tonight, they are far better than relegation-strapped.

“They are top eight material as we stand right now and that has to be the goal for my players and if we have to sneak in the back door for the top eight, it's still the top eight and that's the goal for us right now." 

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He did admit that he will sleep a bit better, having started the game in a precarious 14th place, above Cape Town City only on goal difference.

"Relieved is the word, but more proud, proud of the performance the players gave tonight. I couldn't ask for more, just take the result away for a second, the way we played, we played with no pressure,” he added.

“We played with the players looking like they were free to play, the way we passed the ball around. We've been doing a lot of work on patterns of play at training and the players' movement tonight for me was wonderful to see.

“Even when we went one goal up, it could have been very easy to say, close up shop, put everybody behind the ball but I wanted the players to keep playing and they did that so well.

“Which then as the game went on, later into the game, it allowed us to make changes, bring in some fresh legs and of course see the game through and everybody, whether they started, whether they came on, they were superb."