George back with a bang

GEORGE Chigova is back from the cold!

The Zimbabwe international goalkeeper has been fielded in the SuperSport starting XI, in the last two games, against Orlando Pirates and Richards Bay.

With Chigova in goals, SuperSport have looked solid in defence and forced a goalless draw against Pirates before edging Richards Bay 1-0 on Wednesday night.

Captain Onismor Bhasera, Jesse Donn, Thabang Sibanyoni and Aubrey Ngoma returned to the SuperSport line-up.

But, it appears, it’s Chigova’s influence, which is really making a difference.

The victory over Richards Bay will certainly help boost morale as they go into a MTN8 quarter-final clash against Mamelodi Sundowns tomorrow at Tuks Stadium.

“Results wise, no. Performance wise, yes,” Hunt said. “I think with the squad that we have got, we have played well. Our worst performance was (on Wednesday) after five games and we won.

“Football sometimes goes like that.

“In the other four games we have had our opportunities. Maybe, we weren’t as dominant in the last games before this one but in the other games we definitely dominated and we lost.

“Performance wise, I have been very happy with the squad – they are certainly punching above their weight at the moment. They will get better but with the squad that we’ve got, we’ve been okay.”

On Wednesday, SuperSport could have taken the lead in the opening five minutes from a snap effort in a decent position by Bradley Grobler, but the forward shot wide of target.

The Natal Rich Boyz came to life minutes later and camped in the visitors’ half, as they needed clearances from Luke Fleurs and Thulani Hlatshwayo notably to keep the host at bay.

In a lively closing first half, United saw a few openings from Grant Margeman and Ngoma before Chigova produced a fine save to keep out the host.

Matsatsantsa were out pushing for the opener five minutes inside the second half and were rewarded when Grobler finished off from the penalty spot following a coming-together in the area.

SuperSport could’ve found a second through a diving header in the box by Selaelo Rasebotja, who had just replaced Ngoma but he went wide following Ghampani Lungu’s delivery.

The Natal Rich Boyz pushed for a late comeback with a couple of forward passes to United’s defensive third, but it didn’t materialise as the visitors collected their first win of the season. – Kick-Off/TimesLive/Sports Reporter.