CAPE TOWN – Cape Town City captain Thamsanqa Mkhize believes the team is ready to lift the DStv Premiership, a cup he says they need the most.
The Citizens who finished in the fourth position last season after winning 12 matches, and losing nine have made a number of key signings ahead of the new season.
On Sunday, Eric Tinkler’s charges will welcome the newly promoted side, Polokwane City in their season opener at Athlone Stadium.
Last week, City announced signing a centre back from DRC Ramazani Tshimanga a week after bolstering their squad in Tshegofatso Nyama and Jó Paciência.
“We have had a good pre-season where the team was in the camp in Polokwane, it also gave us a chance for the new players to bond with the rest of the squad,” said Mkhize.
“All that worked very well in terms of building the team and seeing what works and what does not. And our coaches were satisfied as well with the progress we have made.
“We had time to understand the kind of system we want to approach this season and we had positive signs. Now the only thing left is to stick to our plans and execute well and put smiles on the faces of our fans.
With the Citizens holding its first media conference on Tuesday ahead of the Sunday clash, club chairman John Comitis made it clear that the team might add one or two players to their signing list.
Mkhize believes the team’s environment makes it easy for the new additions to adapt.
Mkhize added: “When you come to a new environment you must always make sure you are being yourself and make it easy for people to get easy with you. It’s not easy but embrace your teammates as they are doing that to you automatically when you arrive,” he said.
“We are the top team because I believe the reason the players decide to join us is the fact we have something good going on here.
“And they know they have the potential to add to the team’s success going forward. The guys feel very welcome and we also helped them to perform well.
“Now the team is ready to win the big cups like the league, and that is all we need right now – I want to win that one and I want to challenge myself this season to make sure I contribute to the success of the team.”
The match will kick off at 17:30 on Sunday.
Image: Cape Town City FC
