20 February 2009

Igesund: A pleasant selection headache

Gordon Igesund leads his side into the KZN derby against Golden Arrows on Saturday afternoon with a selection poser with nearly all of his players fit and in good form.

"I now have a pleasant headache of a near full squad to select from and now the three players returning have to fight to get their places back. It is a more healthy position to be in," Igesund told Sapa.

Up front, Igesund has to chose between Fadlu Davids, Brice Aka and Collen Zimba, all of who have been on the score-sheet recently.

He would also have to had considered Lebohang Kukane, but unfortunately he is out of the equation, having endured the misfortune of suffering a broken leg in a car accident. He will be out for the rest of the season.

Following the Team of Choice's dramatic comeback against AmaZulu in their last outing, another KZN derby win could go a long way towards alleviating United's relegation worries.

While not under-estimating any of Maritzburg's opponents in their upcoming matches, Igesund feels that his side's most difficult games are behind them.

"After Arrows we play Bidvest Wits at home, then Bay United away. If we can win all three we would be in a more comfortable middle-of-the -log position.

"Beating AmaZulu was a very important win, but we have also completed a very tough 17 days where we played an incredible six matches, including all the sides in the top five. We have eight of our nine remaining matches in Natal, so that is a big help and now that we have played the big guns in the second round, we play the other sides nearer our level and that is where we can pick up points.

"Don't get me wrong, I have huge respect for the Thanda Royal Zulu, Bay United and Free State Stars who we have to play, but they are closer to our level. We struggled against Sundowns, Orlando Pirates, SuperSport United and Kaizer Chiefs. But now they are behind us. I have great confidence and hope we can start picking up more points starting with Golden Arrows."