ABSA Premiership: Ajax look to keep winning

The sense of relief was palpable around the stadium in midweek as Ajax Cape Town finally registered a win for the season and they are now turning their sights to a possible away win in Tshwane on Saturday.

Ajax face Pretoria University at the university's sports grounds, hoping to put the trauma of narrowly escaping relegation last season plus all their recent boardroom battles between their directors now firmly behind them.

Keeping up winning ways after beating Free State Stars 1-0.in their last Absa Premiership match is now a priority.

Coach Muhsin Ertugral insisted: “I knew the win would come but it’s a nice relief to the boys and to our new owners. It’s a tremendous relief after all we have been through.”

Chairman Ari Efstathiou said he had not slept properly for the last three days worrying about the fortunes of the club, who moved from bottom to 13th in the Premier Soccer League standings and from two points to five after upending Steve Komphela's team.

Against Stars, Ertugral said he had decided on defensive play for the last stages of the game in order to make sure they secured the morale boosting victory.

“I thought we were on fire in the first 20 minutes with the kind of combination play we want to see from Ajax,” he said of the opening period that also saw Mozambican international Telinho score his first goal in South African football.

“But the boys have become anxious over the last weeks and been afraid that we’ll keep losing and so at the end I decided to play three in front of the back four and close it up. It was ugly but the three points were the most important,” Ertugral admitted.

Culled from Supersport