Chiefs star: 'I had to fight for my place'

Midfielder George Matlou has opened up about his time in the stands and working his way back into the Kaizer Chiefs starting line-up.

Matlou is gradually establishing an important  player for Amakhosi this season. The 25-year-old's six appearances so far this season are nearly half the total of 15 appearances he managed last season while his three starts are already just two shy of the five he managed in the entire 22/23 campaign.

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Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of Amakhosi's DStv Premiership clash with Sekhukhune Unite, Matlou opened about his resurgence.

"Of course I had to work hard at training," the midfielder said.

"Starting form last season, I had injuries so that is one of the reasons I was not playing regularly, and I had to fight for my position and work hard in training so the coach can give me an opportunity to play."

Ntseki has also praised Matlou for his bright start to the season.

"I think his (Matlou) performances have been good, even from last season but the unfortunate part is  he had too many injuries, which also held back his progress in terms of game-time and in the pre-season he was one of our best players," Ntseki said after the match against Royal AM.

"But he could not play the preparation matches in the [televised] pre-season because of injury. 

"I think it's good when you give a player confidence, rewarding for hard work in training. For the past two matches, he came in as a sub and gave us a lot of balance in terms of his tactical understanding of the game."

Chiefs host Sekhukhune United at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Wednesday. Kick-off is at 19:30.

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