For the first time this season, Chippa United are smiling as the results are starting to come through, helping them to move away from the dreaded axe.
Chippa have recorded three wins on the trot since the restart, turning the Buffalo City stadium into their fortress after a dismal start when they flirted with relegation.
The rough patch was a familiar experience for the only Eastern Cape side in the Premier Soccer League, leading the club’s chair, Siviwe Mpengesi, to resort to his tried-and-tested tactic of firing coaches in quick succession.
However, Mpengesi appears to have finally found what he has been looking for in coach Vusumzi Kanu Vilakazi, though the new coach’s tenure also got off to a stuttering start.
Chippa have recorded wins over Orbit College (1-0), Durban City (2-0) and Richards Bay (3-0) to rise from the basement of the log to 12th spot after 18 matches.
Buoyed by partisan BCM supporters, calls are reaching a crescendo for the Chilli Boys to play all their home matches in East London.
While some of Vilakazi’s predecessors could claim they were not given sufficient time to implement their philosophy due to lack of preseason preparations, Vilakazi’s good form was helped by the mini-break for the Africa Cup of Nations.
This afforded the coach the opportunity to forge a better understanding with the players while welcoming back Sinoxolo Kwayiba from Orlando Pirates.
By tweaking his line-up, including installing Dumisani Msibi between the posts while Stanley Nwabali was doing the job for Nigeria at Afcon, Vilakazi seems to have found a winning formula.
Though it has been a team effort, Kwayiba and Msibi have played crucial roles in Chippa’s revival with the former netting three times while Msibi kept a clean sheet, sparking calls for him to be included in the Bafana Bafana squad to the World Cup in North America.
While it is too early to start blowing vuvuzelas in celebration — Chippa are still just four points away from the drop zone — the hat-trick of victories bodes well for their survival in the top tier.
The league is enjoying its tightest season in a while, with all teams capable of springing surprises, and Chippa are well advised to keep their feet on the ground.
Vilakazi is wisely shooting down any talk of a finish in the top eight, focusing instead on collecting as many points as possible to avoid even mentioning the feared R-word.
We congratulate the Chilli Boys and urge them to keep working on their great escape.
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