Chiefs youngsters sparkle as Da Cruz gets off to fine start

Luke Baartman shone in Kaizer Chiefs’ Betway Premiership win over Kruger United on Saturday. Picture: Phakamisa Lensman/Backpagepix Kaizer Chiefs’ encouraging start to the season has been grounded in a trust that new head coach Fernando Da Cruz seems to have in his young stars. In the Toyota Cup, it was 20-year-old Mfundo Vilakazi who shone with the winning goal against Scottland FC.

And in Chiefs’ 3-1 win over Kruger United in their Betway Premiership opener at Mbombela Stadium on Sunday it was 20-year-old attacker Luke Baartman who played a Man-of-the-Match role. Signed by Chiefs last season, Baartman battled for game time, playing just seven times in all competitions. The exciting forward says it was Chiefs Sporting Director Kaizer Motaung Jnr who had messages of encouragement for him.

“Last season, because I didn’t get a lot of chances to play, he always messaged me when I’m not in the team to keep going, to keep my head up,” Baartman told SuperSport TV. “I want to give thanks to the man above. I think this one is going straight to my granny, to my community.

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“I just want to give thanks to the coach for believing in me and trusting me, and thanks to my teammates as well.” If Da Cruz can continue to get the best out of his current Chiefs squad, he may soon change his tune on whether Amakhosi can challenge Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns for the title. He has previously said that Chiefs need to reinforce to have a chance, and Amakhosi do look to have done a deal for Stellenbosch’s young attacker Langelihle Phili, who was spotted arriving in Johannesburg on Sunday. But Phili faces a challenge to get into the team, if Saturday night is anything to go by. Another impressive performance came from Chiefs forward Wandile Duba, who came off the bench to grab two goals in the second half.

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